wookie
03-04-2007, 09:03 AM
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2007 March 4
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0703/triton_voyager2.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0703/triton_voyager2_big.jpg)
Triton: Neptune's Largest Moon
Credit: Voyager (http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/mission.html) 2, NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/)
Explanation: In October of 1846, William Lassell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lassell) was observing the newly discovered planet Neptune (http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/neptune.html). He was attempting to confirm his observation, made just the previous week, that Neptune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune) had a ring. But this time he discovered that Neptune had a satellite as well. Lassell soon proved that the ring was a product of his new telescope's distortion, but the satellite Triton (http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/triton.html) remained. The above picture (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/vg2_p34764.html) of Triton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_%28moon%29) was taken in 1989 by the only spacecraft ever to pass Triton (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950805.html): Voyager (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020831.html) 2. Voyager 2 found fascinating terrain (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/caption/triton_close.txt), a thin atmosphere, and even evidence for ice volcanoes (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010629.html) on this world of peculiar orbit and spin. Ironically, Voyager 2 also confirmed the existence of complete thin rings (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/vg2_1135023.html) around Neptune - but these would have been quite invisible (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQWxIrSRDQQ) to Lassell!
Tomorrow's picture: reality versus illusion (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070305.html)
< (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070303.html) | Archive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) | Index (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html) | Search (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search) | Calendar (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html) | Glossary (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html) | Education (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html) | About APOD (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html) | Discuss (http://bb.nightskylive.net/asterisk/viewforum.php?f=9) | > (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070305.html) Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn.html) (MTU (http://www.phy.mtu.edu/)) & Jerry Bonnell (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html) (USRA (http://www.usra.edu/))
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply).
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices (http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html)
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& Michigan Tech. U. (http://www.mtu.edu/)
Discover the cosmos! (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2007 March 4
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0703/triton_voyager2.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0703/triton_voyager2_big.jpg)
Triton: Neptune's Largest Moon
Credit: Voyager (http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/mission.html) 2, NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/)
Explanation: In October of 1846, William Lassell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lassell) was observing the newly discovered planet Neptune (http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/neptune.html). He was attempting to confirm his observation, made just the previous week, that Neptune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune) had a ring. But this time he discovered that Neptune had a satellite as well. Lassell soon proved that the ring was a product of his new telescope's distortion, but the satellite Triton (http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/triton.html) remained. The above picture (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/vg2_p34764.html) of Triton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_%28moon%29) was taken in 1989 by the only spacecraft ever to pass Triton (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950805.html): Voyager (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020831.html) 2. Voyager 2 found fascinating terrain (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/caption/triton_close.txt), a thin atmosphere, and even evidence for ice volcanoes (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010629.html) on this world of peculiar orbit and spin. Ironically, Voyager 2 also confirmed the existence of complete thin rings (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/vg2_1135023.html) around Neptune - but these would have been quite invisible (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQWxIrSRDQQ) to Lassell!
Tomorrow's picture: reality versus illusion (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070305.html)
< (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070303.html) | Archive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) | Index (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html) | Search (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search) | Calendar (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html) | Glossary (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html) | Education (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html) | About APOD (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html) | Discuss (http://bb.nightskylive.net/asterisk/viewforum.php?f=9) | > (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070305.html) Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn.html) (MTU (http://www.phy.mtu.edu/)) & Jerry Bonnell (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html) (USRA (http://www.usra.edu/))
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply).
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices (http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html)
A service of: ASD (http://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/) at NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/) / GSFC (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/)
& Michigan Tech. U. (http://www.mtu.edu/)