Pony-Horse, London Zoo. This is a rare breed that is either a pony, a horse, or a very large dog. It is rare because others of their kind are not sure either, and waste their entire courting time trying to figure out which way is mating end. - Animal Picture Archive.
South Falls, Silver Falls State Park - Not only are the waterfalls great in this park, it is one of the best places for Fall color in Oregon. In a good year the Big Leaf Maple turn deep yellow.
- Oregon Wonders - by Greg Vaughn, PhotoTripUSA.
30 Doradus: The Tarantula Nebula (Large Version), reduce to desktop size with LView) Credit: Gary Bernstein & Megan Novicki (U. Michigan); Copyright: U. Michigan, Lucent Explanation: 30 Doradus is an immense star forming region in a nearby galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. Its spidery appearance is responsible for its popular name, the Tarantula Nebula, except that this tarantula is about 1,000 light-years across, and 165,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Dorado. If it were at the distance of the Orion Nebula, the nearest stellar nursery to Earth, it would appear to cover about 30 degrees on the sky or about 60 full moons. The above image was taken with the Big Throughput Camera and is shown in representative colors. The spindly arms of the Tarantula Nebula surround the NGC 2070 star cluster which contains some of the intrinsically brightest, most massive stars known. This celestial Tarantula is also seen near the site of the closest recent Supernova. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
Proxy Falls, Three Sisters Wilderness, Cascade Mtns - A small stream cascading over a moss-covered columnar basalt formation makes this one of Oregon's most beautiful waterfalls. Oregon Wonders - by Greg Vaughn PhotoTripUSA.
NGC 2346: A Butterfly-Shaped Planetary Nebula (Large Version) Credit: Massimo Stiavelli (STScI), Inge Heyer (STScI) et al., & the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/ STScI/ NASA) Explanation: It may look like a butterfly, but it's bigger than our Solar System. NGC 2346 is a planetary nebula made of gas and dust that has evolved into a familiar shape. At the heart of the bipolar planetary nebula is a pair of close stars orbiting each other once every sixteen days. The tale of how the butterfly blossomed probably began millions of years ago, when the stars were farther apart. The more massive star expanded to encompass its binary companion, causing the two to spiral closer and expel rings of gas. Later, bubbles of hot gas emerged as the core of the massive red giant star became uncovered. In billions of years, our Sun will become a red giant and emit a planetary nebula - but probably not in the shape of a butterfly, because the Sun has no binary star companion. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
NGC 2261: Hubble's Variable Nebula (Large Version) Credit: William Sparks (STScI), Sylvia Baggett (STScI) et al., & the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/ STScI/ NASA) Explanation: What causes Hubble's Variable Nebula to vary? The unusual nebula pictured above changes its appearance noticeably in just a few weeks. Discovered over 200 years ago and subsequently cataloged as NGC 2661, the remarkable nebula is named for Edwin Hubble, who studied it earlier this century. Hubble's Variable Nebula is a reflection nebula made of gas and fine dust fanning out from the star R Monocerotis. The faint nebula is about one light-year across and lies about 2500 light-years away towards the constellation of Monocerotis. A leading variability explanation for Hubble's Variable Nebula holds that dense knots of opaque dust pass close to R Mon and cast moving shadows onto the reflecting dust seen in the rest of the nebula. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
Iridium 52: Not A Meteor (Large Version) Credit: J. W. Young ( TMO, JPL, NASA) Explanation: While hunting for meteors in the night sky above the White Mountains near Bishop, California, astrophotographer James Young instead captured this brilliant celestial apparition. Recorded near twilight on August 13, the bright streak is not the flash of a meteor trail but sunlight glinting from a satellite. The satellite, Iridium 52, is one of a constellation of Iridium digital communication satellites in Earth orbit known for producing stunning, predictable "flares" as they momentarily reflect sunlight from shiny antenna surfaces. For well placed observers, the peak brightness of this Iridium satellite flare reached about -6 magnitude, not quite as bright as the half illuminated moon. At magnitude 2.5, the bright star at the left is Alpha Pegasi, a star in the constellation Pegasus.
NGC 3603: An Active Star Cluster - Credit: B. Brandl (Cornell) et al., ISAAC, VLT, ESO - Explanation: NGC 3603 is home to a massive star cluster, thick dust pillars, and a star about to explode. The central open cluster contains about 2000 bright stars, each of which is much brighter and more massive than our Sun. Together, radiations from these stars are energizing and pushing away surrounding material, making NGC 3603 one of the most interesting HII regions known. NGC 3603 is about 20,000 light-years away, and the region shown is about 20 light-years across. Possibly most interesting about this recently released, representative-color picture are the large number of dim stars visible. These stars are less massive than our Sun, demonstrating that great numbers of low-mass stars also form in active starburst regions. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
Sunset, Harris Beach State Park - Just north of the California border, this park is a favorite for many with its combination of sandy beaches, tide-pools and rock formations. This was one of those days when the prospects for a colorful sunset didn't look very good in the late afternoon, but I stuck around and there was a break in the clouds just as the sun went down. As the saying goes, f/8 and be there! Oregon Wonders - by Greg Vaughn, PhotoTripUSA.
Clydesdale Horse - Grazing with sheep herd in front of mountains- Animal Picture Archive.
Sunrise at Big Lake, Cascade Mountains - The larger lakes in the Cascades are usually windy during the day, but small coves and inlets are often glassy at sunrise. Even when you don't get a great sky, there can be nice reflections of the trees in the water. - Oregon Wonders by Greg Vaughn - PhotoTripUSA.
Spray Park Sunset Reflection - Sunset highlights Mount Rainier, reflected in a snow meltwater pool at Spray Park on the northwest side of the Mountain. Mid-July brings carpets of avalanche lilies (and mosquitoes) to Spray Park as the snowbanks recede. Photographers are spurred on in their trek to this scene by spectacular Spray Falls, a splashing cascade befitting its name. - by Ron Warfield PhotoTripUSA.