色彩经过强化的月亮

色彩经过强化的月亮

2023年1月16日 Moon Enhanced Image Credit & Copyright: Darya Kawa Mirza Explanation: Our Moon doesn’t really look like this. Earth’s Moon, Luna, doesn’t naturally show this rich texture, and its colors are more subtle. But this digital creation is based on reality. The featured image is a composite of multiple images and enhanced to bring up real surface features. The enhancements, for example, show more clearly craters that illustrate the tremendous bombardment our Moon has been through during its 4.6-billion-year history. The dark areas, called maria, have fewer craters and were once seas of molten lava. Additionally, the image colors, although based on the moon’s real composition, are changed and exaggerated. Here, a blue hue indicates a region that is iron rich, while orange indicates a…

夜空最亮的二十五颗星

夜空最亮的二十五颗星

2022年12月18日 25 Brightest Stars in the Night Sky Image Credit & Copyright: Tragoolchitr Jittasaiyapan Explanation: Do you know the names of some of the brightest stars? It’s likely that you do, even though some bright stars have names so old they date back to near the beginning of written language. Many world cultures have their own names for the brightest stars, and it is culturally and historically important to remember them. In the interest of clear global communication, however, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has begun to designate standardized star names. Featured here in true color are the 25 brightest stars in the night sky, currently as seen by humans, coupled with their IAU-recognized names. Some star names have interesting meanings, including Sirius (“the scorcher”…