Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-27

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Please vote for the TWO best APODs (image and text) of August 21-27

Poll ended at Fri Sep 02, 2011 9:34 am

TrES-2b: Dark Planet
77
7%
Aurora Over Greenland
277
27%
A Pileus Iridescent Cloud Over Ethiopia
227
22%
Portrait of NGC 281
182
17%
A Young Supernova in the Nearby Pinwheel Galaxy
201
19%
Hurricane Irene Forms
78
7%
 
Total votes: 1042

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owlice
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Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-27

Post by owlice » Mon Aug 29, 2011 9:34 am

_______________________________________________________________

Please vote for the TWO best Astronomy Pictures of the Day (image and text) of August 21-27, 2011.
(Repeated APODs are not included in the poll.)

All titles are clickable and link to the original APOD page.

We ask for your help in choosing an APOW as this helps Jerry and Robert create "year in APOD images" review lectures, create APOM and APOY polls that can be used to create a free PDF calendar at year's end, and provides feedback on which images and APODs were relatively well received. You can select two top images for the week.

We are very interested in why you selected the APODs you voted for, and enthusiastically welcome your telling us why by responding to this thread.

Thank you!
_______________________________________________________________

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Why is this planet so dark? Planet TrES-2b reflects back less than one percent of the light it receives, making it darker than any known planet or moon, darker even than coal. Jupiter-sized TrES-2b orbits extremely close to a sun-like star 750 light years away, and was discovered producing slight eclipses in 2006 using the modest 10-cm telescopes of the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES). The alien world's strange darkness, however, was only uncovered recently by observations indicating its slight reflective glow by the Earth-orbiting Kepler satellite. An artist's drawing of planet is shown above, complete with unsubstantiated speculation on possible moons. Reasons for TrES-2b's darkness remain unknown and are an active topic of research.
This aurora arched from horizon to horizon. During the current Shelios expedition to observe and learn about the northern lights, the sky last weekend did not disappoint. After sunset and some careful photographic planning, the above image was taken from the expedition's Qaleraliq campsite in southern Greenland. Visible straight through the center of the aurora, found with a careful eye, is the Big Dipper and the surrounding constellation of the Big Bear (Ursa Major). The brightest orb on the far right is the Moon, while Jupiter can be seen even further to the right. The Shelios expedition is scheduled to last until the end of August and include live broadcasts of ongoing auroras.
Yes, but how many dark clouds have a multicolored lining? Pictured, behind this darker cloud, is a pileus iridescent cloud, a group of water droplets that have a uniformly similar size and so together diffract different colors of sunlight by different amounts. The above image was taken just after the picturesque sight was noticed by chance by a photographer in Ethiopia. A more detailed picture of the same cloud shows not only many colors, but unusual dark and wavy bands whose origins are thought related to wave disturbances in the cloud.
Look through the cosmic cloud cataloged as NGC 281 and it's almost easy to miss stars of open cluster IC 1590. But, formed within the nebula, that cluster's young, massive stars ultimately power the pervasive nebular glow. The eye-catching shapes looming in this portrait of NGC 281 are sculpted columns and dense dust globules seen in silhouette, eroded by intense, energetic winds and radiation from the hot cluster stars. If they survive long enough, the dusty structures could also be sites of future star formation. Playfully called the Pacman Nebula because of its overall shape, NGC 281 is about 10,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. This composite image was made through narrow-band filters, but combines emission from the nebula's hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen atoms in a visible spectrum palette. It spans over 80 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 281.
A nearby star has exploded and telescopes all over the world are turning to monitor it. The supernova, dubbed PTF 11kly, was discovered by computer only two days ago as part of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) sky survey utilizing the wide angle 1.2-meter Samuel Oschwin Telescope in California. Its rapid recovery makes it one of the supernovas caught most soon after ignition. PTF 11kly occurred in the photogenic Pinwheel galaxy (M101), which, being only about 21 million light years away, makes it one of the closest supernovas seen in decades. Rapid follow up observations have already given a clear indication that PTF 11kly is a Type Ia supernova, a type of white dwarf detonation that usually progresses in such a standard manner than it has helped to calibrate the expansion history of the entire universe. Studying such a close and young Type Ia event, however, may yield new and unique clues. If early indications are correct, PTF 11kly should brighten to about visual magnitude 10 in the coming weeks, making it possible to monitor with even moderately sized telescopes.
Click to play embedded YouTube video.
Image Credit: GOES 13 satellite, NASA, NOAA
How does a hurricane form? Although a complete picture is still being researched, insight into this process might be gleaned by watching the above time lapse movie of the formation of Hurricane Irene, a large storm system currently threatening the eastern seaboard of the USA. Starting as a slight pressure difference visible as nondescript clouds on the lower right, Hurricane Irene is shown growing into large spiraling storm system of low pressure off the coast of South Carolina. A hurricane is powered by evaporating ocean water, and so typically gains strength over warm water and loses strength over land. Besides Earth, other planets that have hurricane-like storm systems include Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. Much remains unknown about hurricanes and cyclones, including the exact path they will take.
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mtbdudex
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Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by mtbdudex » Mon Aug 29, 2011 5:06 pm

I voted for the Aurora Over Greenland (2011 August 23),for its beauty and capturing so many objects in the sky.

kay4play

Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by kay4play » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:15 pm

I respectfully submit that on APOD, terrestrial photos are not appropriate. Begin a site TPOD if you wish to display so many. IMHO.

Wilma

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owlice
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Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by owlice » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:16 pm

I respectfully submit they are appropriate. Moreover, last year a terrestrial image gathered the most votes for the 2010 Astronomy Picture of the Year. And the runner-up? Also a terrestrial image!
A closed mouth gathers no foot.

dpken

Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by dpken » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:24 pm

While some terrestrial pics are beautiful I like the Supernova pic due to the fact that it's something incredible happening that we (humans) can't see with the naked eye. To me that's beautiful.

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owlice
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Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by owlice » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:51 pm

I like that one, too, dpken, and voted for it. My second vote (everyone gets two!) was for Hurricane Irene, but as she knocked out my power, I may have to rethink that vote...
A closed mouth gathers no foot.

Carina Collany

Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by Carina Collany » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:55 pm

I had severe problems to choose my favorite, because "Aurora Over Greenland" and "A Pileus Iridescent Cloud Over Ethiopia" seemed equal in both beauty and grace. But a decision had to be made ... and, well, I chose Greenland. As many others did :D

Regards

CC

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owlice
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Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by owlice » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:58 pm

But Carina.... you get TWO votes!! You didn't need to decide between 'em; you could have voted for both!!

(Gorgeous photos, both of those!)
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rstevenson
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Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by rstevenson » Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:19 pm

owlice wrote:I respectfully submit they are appropriate. Moreover, last year a terrestrial image gathered the most votes for the 2010 Astronomy Picture of the Year. And the runner-up? Also a terrestrial image!
Number 3 too! In fact 6 of the 18 candidates were terrestrial images, with 4 of those making the top ten. (But I didn't vote for any of them; I prefer off-Terra photos too. It's just that I don't confuse 'my preferences' with 'what's appropriate'.)

Rob

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Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by cmj » Tue Aug 30, 2011 5:22 pm

At least three of the week's offerings were candidates, in my opinion: M, Tu, and W. Of the three, though, the one with the aurora was the winner because of the stark crispness of the image, the dramatic contrast, and the "oh, wow! that's not a made-up image. that's REAL!" factor.

The iridescent cloud image ran a close second, but lost out partly due to the physical scope of the phenomenon in the image and (more importantly) that I'm sure that view was far more fleeting than the aurora itself.

(For better or for worse, my response would be better-worded, but I'm at work right now, and my concentration is divided.)

---chris

RickM

Greenland Aurora and Pac-Man

Post by RickM » Tue Aug 30, 2011 6:44 pm

OK, first I had to eliminate the dark planet. First, it's an artist's drawing, not a real photo; and it includes a couple of moons that may not exist; and finally, it is much too light as shown. The description says it is literally blacker than coal; this drawing has it considerably lighter.

Next I had to eliminate the iridescent cloud and Hurricane Irene. Those are meteorology pictures, not astronomy pictures. I know meteorological phenomena are frequent subjects on the site, and I enjoy looking at them; but unless they illuminate an astronomical topic, I don't see them as astronomy related.

Of those remaining, the aurora is the most compelling image and packs several celestial objects into the frame as well. Truth be told, it probably would have been number one anyway, but NGC 281 would not have been number two.

WorkerB

Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by WorkerB » Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:19 pm

My employer blocks video, so while the APOD is set as my homepage there are unfortunately some days (like Hurricane Irene forming) I don't get to enjoy it

Hrothgar

Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by Hrothgar » Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:28 pm

Well, I have to agree with RickM on the dark planet. It's vivid, and interesting, but after all, it's an artist's rendering. I will similarly oppose cmj on the photos of the aurora and the iridescent cloud. it is the very fleeting nature, and uniqueness of the cloud that makes it so interesting. While the aurora, on the other hand, is lovely, it is also not so very rare. August 24 gets my vote!

Carina Collany

Re: Poll: Astronomy Picture of the Week for 2011 August 21-2

Post by Carina Collany » Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:45 am

owlice wrote:But Carina.... you get TWO votes!! You didn't need to decide between 'em; you could have voted for both!!

(Gorgeous photos, both of those!)
Hey whow! Thanks for telling me! I'm going to use my second vote at once :lol:

Next time I will be on the "double" :mrgreen:

With twice the amount of Greetz today - CC

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