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A Incredible View of The Stars From Space

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Looking up at the night sky reminds us of how small we really are compared to the vastness of the universe but our view down here on the Earth’s surface doesn’t compare to the view the Space Station crew has.

This video shows off not only an amazing view of Earth, which we tend to focus on the most, but also it showcases the stars and even the Milky Way galaxy. Notice how the video captures the lights from the cites, the lightning from storms and the auroras high up in the atmosphere, which looks incredibly thin.

Why You Probably Have Never Seen the Actual Night Sky

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The sky is above us, always, thankfully, but how often do you look up at night sky where you live? I think it’s fair to say that most of us don’t spend too much time paying attention to what’s going on up there, but what’s strange is that even when you do look, you’re likely not seeing the whole picture.

In the United States, the majority of Americans live near  large cities that are filled with light pollution. Light pollution is exactly what it sounds like, it’s excessive light from artificial sources that fills the night sky and blocks our view of the true night sky. Now, by contrast if you live out in the country you are far more likely to see the night sky in great detail. If you live in the Western or South Western United States, with the exception of big cities in California, you will have a very good chance of seeing a night sky full of billions of stars.

Light Pollution Map of The United States Image Credit: The Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute (ISTIL)
Light Pollution Map of The United States ( Image Credit: The Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute aka ISTIL)

Did you know that you can actually see the Milky Way in the night sky? Many Americans have probably never actually seen the Milky Way and some never will. That’s a sad thought considering it’s one of the most amazing views one can see. I didn’t see the Milky Way until I was about 11 years old but I will never forget the view.

LightPollutionCityvCountry
Comparison of the city sky vs the country and how the amount of light pollution obstructs our view of the night sky. Credit: Jeremy Stanley

Perhaps, I have inspired you to go in search of a place that will allow you to view the night sky in all it’s glory! That’s great, but where should you go? Well, there are quite a few places and most of them are out west but there is one really great location in the east that offers up a great view as well. It helps to be high in altitude to get away from the weather and light to create a great star gazing experience and that’s why the McDonald Observatory in Texas is a great location to go as it sits about 6,700 above sea level and has large telescopes that are open to the public to enhance your view.

For those on the eastern side of the US you can head to Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania. This park will definitely allow you to see the nucleus of the Milky Way Galaxy and probably more stars then you have ever seen before. Really want to be amazed? Then how about “International Dark Sky Park” or Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah. This place offers a phenomenal view of the night sky, in it’s full glory, including a complete view of the Milky Way, airglow, and you may even be able to see overhead passing satellites and meteors with the utmost ease, that is if you can pick them out among the millions of stars filling your view.

So what are you waiting for?  Get out there, get inspired, get into science and look towards the night sky. You could even make it part of a fun summer trip!

Two Galaxies Colliding

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HerschelMerger
Image credit: (ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/UC Irvine/STScI/Keck/NRAO/SAO)

When it comes to massive events, Galaxies colliding is pretty high up on the list. Imagine billions of stars from two galaxies intermingling as two systems merge.

This is exactly what the Herschel space observatory has taken images of in this relatively rare event. The two galaxies together are called HXMM01 and are located about 11 billion light-years away from Earth. The merging galaxies are creating some 2,000 stars per year which is a lot when compared to our Milky Way galaxy which only creates about two to three stars per year.

This discovery is important as it gives us a rare glimpse into the early years of the universe and actually helps give us a clearer picture of how the largest galaxies in the universe are created. The most popular theory is that these massive systems are created by a larger galaxy picking up smaller ones, but this discovery shows us that they may actually be created by two massive galaxies colliding instead.

You can read the full article in detail on this subject from JPL/NASA.