I like astronomy, archaeology, photography, music and drinking a lot of tea. I hate politics. Something that annoys me: that I shall not respect the permanence, and to take me by what I'm not. The best sign: VIRGO. The worst: the health. The best: adapt and know how to get ahead. FIRST BLOG: esplaobs.blogspot.com, SECOND BLOG: esplaobs02.blogspot.com, RETRO BLOG: esplaobs01.blogspot.com, YOUTUBE CHANNELS: esplaobs, esplaobs. ext02. Instagram: esplaobsrosario. Welcome to my BLOGs !
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
JOURNEY TO THE TWILIGHT Taken by Bill Metallinos on May 7, 2016 @ Corfu, Greece
Journey to the Twilight
Twilight at lagoon Korission , a Natura2.000 area, with the light of Dawn shining above it.
With Constellations still shine in the firmament, the constellation of Cassiopeia shines on the left in the picture.
While to the center distinguish several stars from the constellation of Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology with Perseus and Valerofontis have managed to ride it.
Simultaneously to the right the constellation of Ganymedes, the water bearer of the gods and to the edge of the picture the goat-footed god Pan, with the stars Deneb Algiedi witch in Arabic means the Tail of the Goat, name course adopted by the Almagest of Ptolemy and just right of the star Nashira, which means the lucky one or the one who brings good news.
Now what we see? and why are stars in the light of the sun? What is Twilight?
I quote from Wikipedia
Twilight is the illumination of the Earths lower atmosphere when the Sun itself is not directly visible because it is below the horizon. Twilight is produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, illuminating the lower atmosphere so that the surface of the Earth is neither completely lit nor completely dark. The word twilight is also used to denote the periods of time when this illumination occurs.
The further the Sun is below the horizon, the dimmer the twilight (other things such as atmospheric conditions being equal). When the Sun reaches 18 degrees below the horizon, the twilights brightness is nearly zero, and evening twilight becomes nighttime. When the Sun again reaches 18 degrees below the horizon, nighttime becomes morning twilight. Owing to its distinctive quality, primarily the absence of shadows and the appearance of objects silhouetted against the bright sky, twilight has long been popular with photographers, who refer to it as sweet light, and painters, who refer to it as the blue hour, after the French expression: lheure bleue.
more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight
Canon eos 5D mk2, Samyung 14mm, F / 2.8, iso400, 25sec, 8sec, 3.2sec, Photomatix
STARS AND GAS OF THE RUNNING CHICKEN NEBULA Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew Campbell
To some, it looks like a giant chicken running across the sky. To others, it looks like a gaseous nebula where star formation takes place. Cataloged as IC 2944, the Running Chicken Nebula spans about 100 light years and lies about 6,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Centaur (Centaurus). The featured image, shown in scientifically assigned colors, was captured recently in an 11-hour exposure from a backyard near Melbourne, Australia. Two star clusters are visible: the Pearl Cluster seen on the far left, and Collinder 249 embedded in the nebula's glowing gas. Although difficult to discern here, several dark molecular clouds with distinct shapes can be found inside the nebula.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Sunday, May 29, 2016
MÚSICA PARA BAILAR ♥ ♪
Listado de canciones:
1.- Piña colada remix
2.- Cuando Bailas remix
3.-Ai Se Eu te Pego remix
4.- Mano arriba- Isaac Rodriguez
5.-Sex on the beach Remix
6.-Takata- Tacabro
7.-All my people- Sasha Lopez
8.-Balada Boa (mejor conocida como che cherereche xD)- Gustavo Lima
9.-Stereo Love-Edward Maya Remix
10.-Loca- Shakira Remix
11.-Algo me gusta de ti- Wisin & Yandel
12.- Loca people (o tambien conocida como Jhonny la gente esta muy loca WTF)- Sak Noel
VALLES MARINERIS: THE GRAND CANYON OF MARS Image Credit: Viking Project, USGS, NASA
Mars will look good in Earth's skies over the next few days -- but not this good. To get a view this amazing, a spacecraft had to actually visit the red planet. Running across the image center, though, is one the largest canyons in the Solar System. Named Valles Marineris, the grand valley extends over 3,000 kilometers long, spans as much as 600 kilometers across, and delves as much as 8 kilometers deep. By comparison, the Earth's Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA is 800 kilometers long, 30 kilometers across, and 1.8 kilometers deep. The origin of the Valles Marineris remains unknown, although a leading hypothesis holds that it started as a crack billions of years ago as the planet cooled. Several geologic processes have been identified in the canyon. The featured mosaic was created from over 100 images of Mars taken by Viking Orbiters in the 1970s. Tomorrow, Mars and Earth will pass the closest in 11 years, resulting in the red planet being quite noticeable toward the southeast after sunset.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
CAT'S EYE WIDE AND DEEP Image Credit & Copyright: Josh Smith
The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best known planetary nebulae in the sky. Its more familiar outlines are seen in the brighter central region of the nebula in this impressive wide-angle view. But the composite image combines many short and long exposures to also reveal an extremely faint outer halo. At an estimated distance of 3,000 light-years, the faint outer halo is over 5 light-years across. Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase in the life of a sun-like star. More recently, some planetary nebulae are found to have halos like this one, likely formed of material shrugged off during earlier episodes in the star's evolution. While the planetary nebula phase is thought to last for around 10,000 years, astronomers estimate the age of the outer filamentary portions of this halo to be 50,000 to 90,000 years. Visible on the left, some 50 million light-years beyond the watchful planetary nebula, lies spiral galaxy NGC 6552.
THE TOMB OF NEFER-SESHEM-PTAH
Nefer-Seshem-Ptah was the overseer of the great court. His tomb is relatively small but still keeps its beautiful scenes that represent everyday life. The false door of the tomb is distinguished and unique it has never been shown before in any of the Memphis tombs.
THE TOMB OF NEMTY-UMES ( NETJERWYMES )
The tomb was discovered in 1996 by the French expedition lead by A. Zivie (cliffs underneath the Bubasteion in Saqara). Conservation works lasted since its discovery to 2003.
The tomb dates back to the reign of king "Ramses II" from the 19th Dynasty (New Kingdom). Its owner served under Ramses the Great as a peace envoy between the Egyptian Empire and the Hittites.
This is the first official opening of the tomb since the completion of the restoration and excavation works that included the consolidation of the mural inscriptions, color fixing and erecting a shelter over the front courtyard to protect the tomb and the inscriptions, as well as installing a new lighting system.
The tomb consists of a limestone front courtyard with two pillars holding inscriptions of the tomb owner in a worshiping position. The western wall has colorful scenes typical of the Ramesside art representing everyday life and religious rituals. Many cartouches bearing the name of "Ramses II" also exist.
The courtyard leads to a rock cut room and contains a rock statue of "Hathor" representing it sorting from the mountain, under its head is a royal statue of Ramses II.
THE TOMB OF ANKH MAHOR
Ankh Mahor was the "Ka-Priest" during the reign of king Teti of the 6th Dynasty. His tomb is often called "the Physician's Tomb" because of the medical scenes in its doorway.
The tomb is big and contains a number of rooms and decorated doorways. It contains the most important Old Kingdom scenes like the famous circumcision scene in the doorway as well as scenes involving agriculture, offerings and fording.
THE PYRAMID OF UNAS
The Pyramid of Unas is the last of the 5th Dynasty royal pyramids. Despite its small size, it is considered one of the most important Egyptian pyramids because it is the first pyramid to register the “Pyramids Texts” which have religious and funerary importance for resurrecting the dead.
The famous French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero was the first to enter the pyramid in 1881 but the pyramid was closed in 1996 because of humidity reasons that negatively influenced its burial chamber. The Supreme Council of Antiquities (then) decided to close the pyramid for conservation and restoration works. After many researches, humidity and heat testing devices were inserted inside the pyramid to decrease their levels, led lights were also provided to safely illuminate the pyramid.
The pyramid is among the funerary complex which combines the valley temple underneath the hill, a causeway that ends with the mortuary temple. The causeway was decorated with scenes of religious and everyday life scenes.
The entrance chapel of the pyramid lies in the north and it leads to a corridor chamber that connects the descending passage coming from the entrance with a straight passage leading to the antechamber. The corridor ends with 3 portcullises that were meant to block the access to the antechamber leading from the entrance passage in the north to the magazines in the east and the burial chamber in the west where the oldest pyramids text exist.
Translated by: Eman Hossni
NIGHTSCAPE ABOVE OTHOLITHI Taken by Bill Metallinos on May 28, 2016 @ Corfu, Greece
Ortholithi beneath the stars
Night landscape near the islet Megalo Tholeto also known as Ortholithi, a vertical rock southern of Ai Gordis beach, Corfu.
The rock as well as the surrounding area consists of marl and sandstone formation which often inserted layers of pebbles, while the top of the sediment observed horizons evaporates from macro crystalline gypsum. While the age of the sediments are Upper Miocene, Tortonio-Massinio.
The rock is located below the village Pentati which owes its name to the Pentato, 20% tax on revenues from sales and exports oak at the Venetian years.
The rock is in the moonlight, this morning at dawn, on the right stands the entire constellation of Bootes, at the top is the head, the star Nakkar, a corruption of the Arab, Baqqār, which means the driver of oxen. In the middle is the belt(h zonh, in Greeks) and the star Izar, and just bellow and above the rock is Arcturus, the brightest star of the northern hemisphere, a red giant star only 36.7 light years away.
While to the left of constellation Bootes, is Corona Borealis, the Ariadnes crown gift from Theseus, with the brightest star Alfekka, meaning the brighter of the plate for the Arabs, Al Nair al Fakkah.
Below and left of Corona Borealis we can see the Serpens Caput, the right part of the constellation, the other part is beyond the constellation of god Asclepius who seems half to the left of the photo, the four stars on the basis of an almost trapezium, Sabik at *88 ly, Han at *459 ly, the Yed Pasterior at *108 light years and next to the Yed Prior to *122 ly.
Just underneath the constellation of Ophiuchus, bottom left of the photo, is the upper part of the constellation of Scorpio with just in the frame of picture Antares at the distance of *550 light years away, a red supergiant star with a diameter 700 times greater than our Sun.
While to the right the brighter red with the reflection in the Mediterranean sea is the red planet Mars, only ~ 750 million kilometres away from us or around 4 minutes of light.
And just over Antares we see planet Saturn at 9 astronomical unites away or about 72 hours of light.
And something that excites my imagination is the Angry Bird like rock
.. VAMOS ARTURO TODAVIA ! ..
NEW HORIZONS' BEST CLOSE-UP OF PLUTO'S SURFACE
PARA VER IMAGEN EN ALTA DEFINICIÓN ABRIR SIGUIENTE LINK
This is the most detailed view of Pluto’s terrain you’ll see for a very long time. This mosaic strip – extending across the hemisphere that faced the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015 – now includes all of the highest-resolution images taken by the NASA probe. (Be sure to zoom in for maximum detail.) With a resolution of about 260 feet (80 meters) per pixel, the mosaic affords New Horizons scientists and the public the best opportunity to examine the fine details of the various types of terrain on Pluto, and determine the processes that formed and shaped them.
“This new image product is just magnetic,” said Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado. “It makes me want to go back on another mission to Pluto and get high-resolution images like these across the entire surface.”
The view extends from the “limb” of Pluto at the top of the strip, almost to the “terminator” (or day/night line) in the southeast of the encounter hemisphere, seen below. The width of the strip ranges from more than 55 miles (90 kilometers) at its northern end to about 45 miles (75 kilometers) at its southern point. The perspective changes greatly along the strip: at its northern end, the view looks out horizontally across the surface, while at its southern end, the view looks straight down onto the surface.
This mosaic strip – extending across the hemisphere that faced the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015 – now includes all of the highest-resolution images taken by the NASA probe. Note: video is silent/no audio.
Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI
This movie moves down the mosaic from top to bottom, offering new views of many of Pluto’s distinct landscapes along the way. Starting with hummocky, cratered uplands at top, the view crosses over parallel ridges of “washboard” terrain, chaotic and angular mountain ranges, cellular plains, coarsely “pitted” areas of sublimating nitrogen ice, zones of thin nitrogen ice draped over the topography below, and dark mountainous highlands scarred by deep pits.
The pictures in the mosaic were obtained by New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) approximately 9,850 miles (15,850 kilometers) from Pluto, about 23 minutes before New Horizons’ closest approach.
Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI
Friday, May 27, 2016
A NEW DISCOVERY IN ASWAN: A BURIAL OF A PROMINENT 12TH DYNASTY LADY UNCOVERED
Within the framework of the excavation works performed by Jaén University – Spain, directed by Alejandro Jimémez-Serrano, in the necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa (West Aswan) , a burial of a lady called " Sattjeni " from the 12th Dynasty (Middle Kingdom) buried inside two wooden coffins was uncovered…. Declared Dr. Mahmoud Afify, Head of the Ancient Egyptian Archaeology Sector at the Ministry of Antiquities.
Afify said that the discovery is of a historic importance because "Sattjeni" is one of the most important figures in the Middle Kingdom, being the mother of Heqa-Ib III" and " Amaeny-Senb"; two of the highest authorities of Elephantine under the reign of Amenemhat III, around 1800-1775 BCE .
The body was originally wrapped in linen and deposited in two wooden coffins made of cedar from Lebanon…added Nasr Salama, General Director of Aswan and Nubia Areas. Over the face of Sattjeni, some remains of her cartonnage mask were documented. The inner coffin was in extremely good condition, which will even permit to date the year in which the tree was cut.
Dr. Jimémez explained that Lady Sattjeni was a key figure of the local dynasty. She was the daughter of the nomarch Sarenput II and, after the death of all the male members of her family; she was the unique holder of the dynastic rights in the government of Elephantine.
The Spanish Mission (University of Jaén, Spain) in Qubbet el-Hawa, directed by Dr. Alejandro Jiménez-Serrano, is working on West Aswan since 2008 and, since that year, has discovered several intact burials of different periods. Among them, it is necessary to remind the discovery of Lady Sattjeni’s son Heqaib III.
Ministry of Antiquities, Press Office
THE GREAT CARINA NEBULA Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Ward (Barden Ridge Observatory)
A jewel of the southern sky, the Great Carina Nebula, also known as NGC 3372, spans over 300 light-years, one of our galaxy's largest star forming regions. Like the smaller, more northerly Great Orion Nebula, the Carina Nebula is easily visible to the unaided eye, though at a distance of 7,500 light-years it is some 5 times farther away. This gorgeous telescopic close-up reveals remarkable details of the region's central glowing filaments of interstellar gas and obscuring cosmic dust clouds. The field of view is over 50 light-years across. The Carina Nebula is home to young, extremely massive stars, including the stars of open cluster Trumpler 14 (below and right of center) and the still enigmatic variable Eta Carinae, a star with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun. Eta Carinae is the brightest star, seen here just above the dusty Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3324). While Eta Carinae itself maybe on the verge of a supernova explosion, X-ray images indicate that the Great Carina Nebula has been a veritable supernova factory.