Extrasolar
Planets 太陽系外行星 (13/7/2003)
不知道大家知不知道，這十年來，天文學家不斷在太陽系外的其他恆星，找到了很多他們的行星，研究這些太陽系以外的行星，便可以知道其他恆星系統的特徵，其實我們一直都想知道究竟這個宇宙會不會有一個跟地球很相似的行星，所以天文學家都一直很努力地找尋這些系外行星。最近，天文學家在一顆編號為HD70642的恆星附近，找到一個暫時最像我們太陽系的行星系統(但不是發現一個很似地球的行星)，圖中就是畫家筆下的HD70642行星系統。
Caption::
Astronomers have discovered a planetary system more similar to our own
Solar System than any known previously. The bright star HD70642, visible
with binoculars toward the constellation of Puppis, was already known
to be a star like our Sun. Now a planet with twice Jupiter's mass has
been discovered in a nearly circular orbit at approximately half the orbital
distance of Jupiter. Such an orbit allows the possibility of habitable
Earth-type planets orbiting further in, a possibility not likely with
all previously discovered planetary systems with massive planets occupying
disruptive closer elliptical orbits. The above illustration indicates
what the HD70642 planetary system might look like from a hypothetical
moon orbiting the newly discovered planet. At only 90 light years distant,
extremely faint early radio broadcasts from Earth are now passing this
planetary system.
Credit::
David A. Hardy, PPARC
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NGC
1068 (12/7/2003)
天文學家發現很多星系的核心都有著一個特大質量的黑洞，這些黑洞好像怪獸一樣，有幾億個太陽質量，把周圍的東西都吸進去，然後釋出很多的能量。這圖是一個叫
NGC 1068
的星系，由一張可見光和一張X射線的圖組合而成，中間見到白色的地方，相信是圍繞特大質量黑洞的物質所激發的。
Caption::
This composite X-ray (blue and green) and optical (red) image of the active
galaxy, NGC 1068, shows gas blowing away in a high-speed wind from the
vicinity of a central supermassive black hole. Regions of intense star
formation in the inner spiral arms of the galaxy are highlighted by both
optical and X-ray emission. The elongated shape of the gas cloud is thought
to be due to the funneling effect of a torus, or doughnut-shaped cloud,
of cool gas and dust that surrounds the black hole. The torus, has a mass
of about 5 million Suns. Radio observations indicate that the torus extends
from within a few light years of the black hole out to about 300 light
years.
Credit::
NASA/ CXC/ MIT/ UCSB/ STScI/ P.Ogle/ A.Capetti et al.
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NGC
1232 (11/7/2003)
這是一個螺旋星系，叫NGC1232，NGC是星表New
Generation Catalog的簡寫，NGC1232是當中的第1232個成員。天上的星系有很多不同的形狀，其中一些呈螺旋狀，稱為螺旋星系。在左下角，你可以看到一個小小的星系，它是NGC1232的伴星系，性質類似於衛星的東西。
Caption::
This spectacular image of the large spiral galaxy NGC 1232 was obtained
on September 21, 1998, during a period of good observing conditions. It
is based on three exposures in ultra-violet, blue and red light, respectively.
The colours of the different regions are well visible: the central areas
contain older stars of reddish colour, while the spiral arms are populated
by young, blue stars and many star-forming regions. Note the distorted
companion galaxy on the left side of the photo, shaped like the greek
letter "theta". NGC 1232 is located 20o south of the celestial
equator, in the constellation Eridanus (The River). The distance is about
100 million light-years, but the excellent optical quality of the VLT
and FORS allows us to see an incredible wealth of details. At the indicated
distance, the edge of the field shown in photo corresponds to about 200,000
lightyears, or about twice the size of the Milky Way galaxy.
Credit::
European
Southern Observatory
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Hong
Kong from Space 太空看香港 (10/7/2003)
由太空拍回來的香港，這張相的攝影時間是1983年。20年後的今天，香港的面貌應該已經很不同了。圖中可以清楚看到那裏的大廈最多，那裏是水塘，那裏是山。
Caption::
Hong Kong, China December 1983 Hong Kong, an important center of world
commerce in the Far East that covers 399 square miles (1033 square kilometers),
is discernible in this east-looking, low-oblique photograph. The tan circular
area is the Chinese city of Shenzhen. Hong Kong lies adjacent to Kwangtung
Province in southeastern China on the estuary of the Canton River, east
of Macao (not visible), and 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of the
Chinese city of Canton (not visible). Hong Kong is a free port, a bustling
trade center, and a shipping and banking emporium. Major industries include
textiles, garment mills, shipbuilding, food processing, plastics, electrical
and electronic equipment, rubber products, machinery, chemicals, ceramics,
furniture, jewelry, toys, motion picture production, insurance, printing
and publishing, and tourism. Because of the mountainous and rocky terrain,
approximately only one-seventh of the land is arable. Rice and vegetables
are major crops. Leased by China to Great Britain in 1898, Hong Kong was
returned to China in 1997.
Credit::
Earth Sciences and Image Analysis, NASA-Johnson Space Center
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Milky
Way 銀河 (9/7/2003)
最近香港實在很好天，我整個星期也可以看到銀河，實在太開心，所以今天用了一張不錯的銀河的畫。留意下，就知道這張圖是畫的，而不是用相機影的。但我可以告訴你，圖中的景像是絕對是有可能發生的，只是香港的燈光污染太嚴重，所以不可能看到光暗分明的銀河，和畫一樣的水面銀河倒影。
Caption::
Recently, Hong Kong have a very clear sky, I can see the Milky Way for
a whole week, therefore I use a picture of Milky Way here. If you are
careful enough, you can figure out that the pic is drew, but not photographed.
Although you may not seen this scene before, the scene in the pic is real,
you might be able to see a very distinctive Milky Way and its reflection
on water, in somewhere outside Hong Kong.
Credit::
Shigemi
Numazawa
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