APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

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APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by APOD Robot » Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:05 am

Image Mars in Taurus

Explanation: You can spot Mars in the evening sky tonight. Now home to the Perseverance rover, the Red Planet is presently wandering through the constellation Taurus, close on the sky to the Seven Sisters or Pleiades star cluster. In fact this deep, widefield view of the region captures Mars near its closest conjunction to the Pleiades on March 3. Below center, Mars is the bright yellowish celestial beacon only about 3 degrees from the pretty blue star cluster. Competing with Mars in color and brightness, Aldebaran is the alpha star of Taurus. The red giant star is toward the lower left edge of the frame, a foreground star along the line-of-sight to the more distant Hyades star cluster. Otherwise too faint for your eye to see, the dark, dusty nebulae lie along the edge of the massive Perseus molecular cloud, with the striking reddish glow of NGC 1499, the California Nebula, at the upper right.

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Re: APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by Ann » Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:37 am

2021_03_02_Mars_Taurus_1024px[1].jpg
The Pleiades with a brilliant red foreground object.
Copyright: Petr Horalek / Institute of Physics in Opava.

My first thought when I saw the APOD was, What is that enormous orange object south of the Pleiades? The red star next to the Pleiades is nowhere near that bright, and it is located north of the Pleiades and not south of it!

Ah; I should have realized right away. Hi, Mars! Hi, Perseverance!

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Re: APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by Knight of Clear Skies » Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:30 pm

Am I right in thinking the concentrations of dust are part of the Taurus molecular cloud? It's interesting to look at this area of sky in the unWISE data set. The most interesting feature is between the California Nebula and the Pleiades.

http://viewer.legacysurvey.org/?ra=55.0 ... eo6&zoom=8
Caradon Observatory, Cornwall, UK.

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Re: APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by johnnydeep » Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:03 pm

Knight of Clear Skies wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:30 pm Am I right in thinking the concentrations of dust are part of the Taurus molecular cloud? It's interesting to look at this area of sky in the unWISE data set. The most interesting feature is between the California Nebula and the Pleiades.

http://viewer.legacysurvey.org/?ra=55.0 ... eo6&zoom=8
Not sure what you mean. The text says "Otherwise too faint for your eye to see, the dark, dusty nebulae lie along the edge of the massive Perseus molecular cloud"

What's the relationship - if any - between the Taurus molecular cloud (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurus_Molecular_Cloud) and the Perseus molecular cloud (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_molecular_cloud)? From those links:
The Taurus Molecular Cloud is a molecular cloud in the constellations Taurus and Auriga. This cloud hosts a stellar nursery containing hundreds of newly formed stars.[2] The Taurus Molecular Cloud is only 140 pc (430 ly) away from earth, making it the nearest large star formation region.
The Perseus molecular cloud (Per MCld) is a nearby (~1000 ly) giant molecular cloud in the constellation of Perseus and contains over 10,000 solar masses of gas and dust covering an area of 6 by 2 degrees. Unlike the Orion molecular cloud it is almost invisible apart from two clusters, IC 348 and NGC 1333, where low-mass stars are formed. It is very bright at mid and far-infrared wavelengths and in the submillimeter originating in dust heated by the newly formed low-mass stars.
Are both clouds even in the frame of this APOD? I suck at recognizing like features of different images, so I'm hoping one of the regular posters will chime in.

PS - that legacy survey viewer site sure is impressive! I bet someone with a better familiarity with the sky could pan and zoom around for hours!
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Re: APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by Ann » Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:31 pm

johnnydeep wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:03 pm
Knight of Clear Skies wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:30 pm Am I right in thinking the concentrations of dust are part of the Taurus molecular cloud? It's interesting to look at this area of sky in the unWISE data set. The most interesting feature is between the California Nebula and the Pleiades.

http://viewer.legacysurvey.org/?ra=55.0 ... eo6&zoom=8
Not sure what you mean. The text says "Otherwise too faint for your eye to see, the dark, dusty nebulae lie along the edge of the massive Perseus molecular cloud"

What's the relationship - if any - between the Taurus molecular cloud (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurus_Molecular_Cloud) and the Perseus molecular cloud (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_molecular_cloud)? From those links:
The Taurus Molecular Cloud is a molecular cloud in the constellations Taurus and Auriga. This cloud hosts a stellar nursery containing hundreds of newly formed stars.[2] The Taurus Molecular Cloud is only 140 pc (430 ly) away from earth, making it the nearest large star formation region.
The Perseus molecular cloud (Per MCld) is a nearby (~1000 ly) giant molecular cloud in the constellation of Perseus and contains over 10,000 solar masses of gas and dust covering an area of 6 by 2 degrees. Unlike the Orion molecular cloud it is almost invisible apart from two clusters, IC 348 and NGC 1333, where low-mass stars are formed. It is very bright at mid and far-infrared wavelengths and in the submillimeter originating in dust heated by the newly formed low-mass stars.
Are both clouds even in the frame of this APOD? I suck at recognizing like features of different images, so I'm hoping one of the regular posters will chime in.

PS - that legacy survey viewer site sure is impressive! I bet someone with a better familiarity with the sky could pan and zoom around for hours!
California Nebula IC 348 and NGC 1333 Rogelio Bernal Andreo.png
California Nebula (red, far left), IC 348 (center right, blue and pale magenta) and
NGC 1333 (pale blue and orange, upper right). Photo: Rogelio Bernal Andreo.
California Nebula IC 348 and NGC 1333 annotated.png
California Nebula, IC 348 and NGC 1333. Photo: Petr Horalek.

In the annotated image at right, this is what the numbers mean:

1) California Nebula

2) IC 348

3) NGC 1333


IC 348 and NGC 1333 are starforming regions in the Perseus Molecular Cloud.

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Re: APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by orin stepanek » Thu Mar 04, 2021 10:25 pm

Mars closer to being in the Pleiades! Right under it!
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Re: APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by johnnydeep » Thu Mar 04, 2021 10:42 pm

Ann wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:31 pm
johnnydeep wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:03 pm
Knight of Clear Skies wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:30 pm Am I right in thinking the concentrations of dust are part of the Taurus molecular cloud? It's interesting to look at this area of sky in the unWISE data set. The most interesting feature is between the California Nebula and the Pleiades.

http://viewer.legacysurvey.org/?ra=55.0 ... eo6&zoom=8
Not sure what you mean. The text says "Otherwise too faint for your eye to see, the dark, dusty nebulae lie along the edge of the massive Perseus molecular cloud"

What's the relationship - if any - between the Taurus molecular cloud (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurus_Molecular_Cloud) and the Perseus molecular cloud (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_molecular_cloud)? From those links:
The Taurus Molecular Cloud is a molecular cloud in the constellations Taurus and Auriga. This cloud hosts a stellar nursery containing hundreds of newly formed stars.[2] The Taurus Molecular Cloud is only 140 pc (430 ly) away from earth, making it the nearest large star formation region.
The Perseus molecular cloud (Per MCld) is a nearby (~1000 ly) giant molecular cloud in the constellation of Perseus and contains over 10,000 solar masses of gas and dust covering an area of 6 by 2 degrees. Unlike the Orion molecular cloud it is almost invisible apart from two clusters, IC 348 and NGC 1333, where low-mass stars are formed. It is very bright at mid and far-infrared wavelengths and in the submillimeter originating in dust heated by the newly formed low-mass stars.
Are both clouds even in the frame of this APOD? I suck at recognizing like features of different images, so I'm hoping one of the regular posters will chime in.

PS - that legacy survey viewer site sure is impressive! I bet someone with a better familiarity with the sky could pan and zoom around for hours!
California Nebula IC 348 and NGC 1333 Rogelio Bernal Andreo.png
California Nebula (red, far left), IC 348 (center right, blue and pale magenta) and
NGC 1333 (pale blue and orange, upper right). Photo: Rogelio Bernal Andreo.
California Nebula IC 348 and NGC 1333 annotated.png
California Nebula, IC 348 and NGC 1333. Photo: Petr Horalek.

In the annotated image at right, this is what the numbers mean:

1) California Nebula

2) IC 348

3) NGC 1333


IC 348 and NGC 1333 are starforming regions in the Perseus Molecular Cloud.

Ann
Thanks, but is the Taurus molecular cloud anywhere in these pics?
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Re: APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by Ann » Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:40 am

johnnydeep wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 10:42 pm
Thanks, but is the Taurus molecular cloud anywhere in these pics?
Oh, sorry! This is what Wikipedia says:

Wikipedia wrote:

The Taurus Molecular Cloud is a molecular cloud in the constellations Taurus and Auriga. This cloud hosts a stellar nursery containing hundreds of newly formed stars. The Taurus Molecular Cloud is only 140 pc (430 ly) away from earth, making it the nearest large star formation region. It also reveals characteristics that make it ideal for detailed physical studies. It has been important in star formation studies at all wavelengths.
At 430 ly away, it is at the same distance as the Pleiades. So the blue reflection nebulas surrounding the Pleiades must be parts of the Taurus Molecular Cloud. Or at least I would think so.

There appear to be no bright obvious stars or visibly bright nebulas in the Taurus Molecular Cloud.


Do check out the Wikipedia page! There are two videos there, and the first one is really helpful. Don't know about the second.

And, yes, I'd say that the Taurus Molecular Cloud is in the APOD.

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Re: APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by neufer » Fri Mar 05, 2021 2:22 pm

Ann wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:40 am
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurus_Molecular_Cloud wrote:
The Taurus Molecular Cloud is a molecular cloud in the constellations Taurus and Auriga. This cloud hosts a stellar nursery containing hundreds of newly formed stars. The Taurus Molecular Cloud is only 140 pc (430 ly) away from earth, making it the nearest large star formation region. It also reveals characteristics that make it ideal for detailed physical studies. It has been important in star formation studies at all wavelengths.
At 430 ly away, it is at the same distance as the Pleiades. So the blue reflection nebulas surrounding the Pleiades must be parts of the Taurus Molecular Cloud. Or at least I would think so.

There appear to be no bright obvious stars or visibly bright nebulas in the Taurus Molecular Cloud.

And, yes, I'd say that the Taurus Molecular Cloud is in the APOD.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_test wrote: <<Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley (1849–1916) wrote: When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck.

Douglas Adams parodied this test in his book Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family Anatidae on our hands.

The Liskov Substitution Principle in computer science is sometimes expressed as a counter-example to the duck test: If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck but it needs batteries, you probably have the wrong abstraction.

Monty Python also referenced the test in the Witch Logic scene in their 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail: What do you do with witches? Burn them! And what do you burn apart from witches? Wood! So, why do witches burn? 'cos they're made of wood? So; how do we tell if she is made of wood? Build a bridge out of 'er! Ah, but can you not also make bridges out of stone? Oh yeah. Does wood sink in water? No, it floats! It floats! Throw her into the pond! What also floats in water? Bread! Apples! Very small rocks? Cider! Gra-Gravy! Cherries! Mud! Churches? Churches! Lead, Lead. A Duck! Exactly. So, logically... If she weighs the same as a duck, she's made of wood... and therefore... a witch!>>
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Re: APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by Knight of Clear Skies » Fri Mar 05, 2021 2:30 pm

Thanks for the clarification Ann & johnnydeep. Looks like the APOD covers both the Taurus and Perseus molecular clouds. The interesting feature I picked out in the WISE data is IC 348. There are some nice visual images of it on Astrobin but the ring structure only shows up in infra-red, a bit like the Lambda-Orionis ring. I guess it's probably an old supernova remnant?

https://www.astrobin.com/392219/D/

https://www.astrobin.com/zp90r3/?nc=user
Caradon Observatory, Cornwall, UK.

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Re: APOD: Mars in Taurus (2021 Mar 04)

Post by johnnydeep » Fri Mar 05, 2021 2:56 pm

Knight of Clear Skies wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 2:30 pm Thanks for the clarification Ann & johnnydeep. Looks like the APOD covers both the Taurus and Perseus molecular clouds. The interesting feature I picked out in the WISE data is IC 348. There are some nice visual images of it on Astrobin but the ring structure only shows up in infra-red, a bit like the Lambda-Orionis ring. I guess it's probably an old supernova remnant?

https://www.astrobin.com/392219/D/

https://www.astrobin.com/zp90r3/?nc=user
Yes, thanks, Ann. And Astrobin looks like another great site! But I'm still not clear what the difference is (visually) between the Perseus and Taurus molecular clouds. I tried to outline them both below, two possible ways - two blue circled regions or two red circles regions - but I frankly don't know if either is correct, or if neither are!:

Where are the Perseus and Taurus Molecular Clouds?
Where are the Perseus and Taurus Molecular Clouds?

PS - and yes, neufer, that does look like a swimming duck with it's reflection in the water :ssmile:
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Johnnydeep be good.

Post by neufer » Fri Mar 05, 2021 3:48 pm

johnnydeep wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 2:56 pm
PS - and yes, neufer, that does look like a swimming duck with it's reflection in the water :ssmile:
  • I saw it more as a Boston traffic "duck dodger" doing a fast "duckwalk" on land.
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like a swimming duck

Post by neufer » Mon Mar 22, 2021 6:08 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.
johnnydeep wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 2:56 pm

PS - and yes, neufer, that does look like a swimming duck with it's reflection in the water :ssmile:
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