MORE RECENT ASTRONOMICAL PHOTOS

Here's a picture (above) of Mars as seen from the ground by the recently arrived Curiosity rover.  Geez, it's pretty. This could be Arizona.

Actually the picture at the very top is "white balanced" to make the details read better. What the rover actually saw is this (above) dismal, mustard-colored landscape. Yuck! I prefer the fake!

False color is common in this kind of photography. Here's (above) a recent picture of The Crescent Nebula. Astronomers intensified the color to make it easier to identify the elements.

BTW, this nebula was created by the big, dying star near the center. In its death throws it ejected large chunks of itself into space. Any day the remainder of the star could suddenly shrink then burst into a supernova. 

Here's a flight through part of the universe on film, where every pin point represents a real galaxy, and the galaxies are in their true positions relative to each other. It's best when watched large, but that might make the movements jerky.

You can see parts of the filaments that connect the galaxy clusters.

Above, something I thought I'd never see: a picture of the universe. I wonder why there's a bright spot in the middle? Does our universe have a middle? I guess it must, but where is it?


This final video (above) has nothing to do with science, but I have to include it because it's ferociously clever.  I won't ruin the fun by explaining it. It's all spelled out on the YouTube site. Oh, and forgive the music. It's...well, you'll see.