Sagittarius
A* 人馬座A* (29/5/2003)
早前跟大家提過的錢德拉X射線望遠鏡，是一台專門負責探測宇宙中X射線的望遠鏡，這張相就是由錢德拉拍攝回來的，是一個稱為人馬座A*的地方（讀作人馬座A星）。人馬座A*正正就是我們居住的銀河系正中心，而天文學家亦由間接的資料知道這裏有一個重太陽3百萬倍的特大質量黑洞，吸食著我們銀河系的物質，而你現在看到的就是圍繞在黑洞外圍（其實都很外）的氣體，有些地方溫度高達2千萬度，實在很難想像這是個什麼的地方。
Caption::
Using the orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have taken this
long look at the core of our Milky Way galaxy, some 26,000 light-years
away. The spectacular false-color view spans about 130 light-years. It
reveals an energetic region rich in x-ray sources and high-lighted by
the central source, Sagittarius A*, known to be a supermassive black hole
with 3 million times the mass of the Sun. Given its tremendous mass, Sagittarius
A* is amazingly faint in x-rays in comparison to central black holes observed
in distant galaxies, even during its frequent x-ray flares. This suggests
that this supermassive black hole has been starved by a lack of infalling
material. In fact, the sharp Chandra image shows clouds of multi-million
degree gas dozens of light-years across flanking (upper right and lower
left) the central region -- evidence that violent events have cleared
much material from the vicinity of the black hole.
Credit::
NASA/CXC/MIT/F.K.Baganoff
et al.
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Evolution
of Dogs 狗的演化 (28/5/2003)
狗，是由狼演化而來的動物，現在牠們已經成為人類的好朋友、人們的寵兒。曾幾何時覺得SONY推出的機器狗很無聊，但時移世易，不得不承認，我們已踏進了機械時代，將來這個世界或許會由人工智能的機械人充斥著也說不定，到時何止是機器狗，機器青蛙，機器樹周圍都是也不足為其。把狼、狗和機器狗放在一起，再加上牠們的眼神，令這張相很別緻。
Caption::
Even with its battery removed, an Aibo robot got the full attention of
Koda the wolf and Simon the Maltese during a studio shoot. Koda, a trained
captive-born wolf, had worked with Simon but not with the robot. At first
he moved away from the motionless Aibo, says photographer Robert Clark.
Then, curious, he sniffed it and chewed off a plastic ear. Doug Seus,
Koda's owner and trainer, says that while dogs can easily form new relationships
after they are about six months old, wolves are genetically programmed
not to accept strangers. "It's a built-in survival technique to limit
the size of the pack." Confronted with the unknown, wolves are either
extremely timid or extremely aggressive, he says. "They may look
like a big dog, but they are psychologically different."
Credit::
Robert
Clark
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SIRTF
太空紅外線望遠鏡 (27/5/2003)
這是一台準備在八月發射(若果不延遲的話)的紅外線太空望遠鏡，還未正式命名，暫時的簡稱為SIRTF。這台望遠鏡的重要性與哈勃太望遠鏡，錢德拉X射線望遠鏡和康普頓伽瑪射線望遠鏡看齊（未聽過這些名字？好，遲些再介紹）。不過這望遠鏡已經推遲了發射的日期好幾次，現在又推遲到八月，到時又知道會否因什麼又再推遲多幾個月，什至幾年。你見到的是它在最後組裝階段的相，你有沒有發現，很多太空設施都要經過特別的防塵處理，這也不例外，所有工作人員都要由頭包到尾，以防止它沾去任何的塵埃，這樣除了為了保護它的高度靈敏的儀器外，還避免將地球的細菌帶上太空，以免這些細菌在太空中變種，重返地球時帶來不可預計的後果。
Caption::
SIRTF - the Space Infrared Telescope Facility - will be launched into
space by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida in August 2003. During
its 2.5-year mission, SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting
the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths
of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter). Most of this
infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be
observed from the ground. This image shows the Lockheed Matin engineers
put the funishing touches on SIRTF before shipping it to Cape Canaveral.
The solar panels and heat shield are in place, as is the infrared telescope's
propulsion system.
Credit::
Russ
Underwood, Lockheed Martin Space Systems
|
One
Small Step 一小步 (26/5/2003)
一張經典，不用多說。但不講不知，相信不少人都誤以為這張是人類在月球上的第一個腳印，其實這只是艾德寧的腳印（第二個登月的人），第一個踏足月球的人是岩士唐，他第一個腳印在登月艙附近，絕不可能是這個腳印。儘管是那個腳印，這都是人類第一批在月面留下的足跡，還是那句名句，「這是個人的一小步，但卻是人類的一大步。」
Caption::
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
A close-up view of an astronaut's bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed
with a 70mm lunar surface camera during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity
(EVA) on the Moon. While astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander, and
Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., lunar module pilot, descended in the Lunar Module
(LM) "Eagle" to explore the Sea of Tranquility region of the
Moon, astronaut Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained with the
Command and Service Modules (CSM) "Columbia" in lunar orbit.
Credit::
NASA
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Lightning
閃電 (25/5/2003)
閃電我們就見得多，但要影一張靚的相卻一點也不容易，影閃電的相就似影流星一樣，很講運氣，你永遠不知道下次閃電或下一顆流星在那裏出現，就算影到也未必影得好，所以見到這些相時真是要望真多幾眼（哈，其實我未影過閃電，有機會定要試一試）。雖然閃電是很常見的現象，但仍有未解釋到的地方，例如高空的閃電現象。這張相碰巧是日落時影的，地點是美國阿里桑那州的土孫山。
Caption::
I'm sure all of you have seen lots of lightning, however, if we want to
photograph it is a no easy task. It just like to photograph a falling
star, you never be able to predict where and when is it coming from, it's
totally base on luck. Although lightning is a common natural phenomena,
we still not yet resolve some of its mystery, like the lightning seen
on upper atmosphere. This image shows an electrical storm at sunset over
the Tucson Mountains, Arizona, USA.
Credit::
Thomas
Wiewandt
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