APOD 1.5

2011 September 26
Mars' southern pole houses a ice cap of carbon-diaoxide that sublimates every year during the martian summer. When the carbon dioxide sublimates it converts directly from dry ice to its gaseous form of matter. What I find most interesting is the gold dust-like substance that surrounds the permanetly frozen portions of the caps. Currently we have no idea what this substance is yet. This just proves how vast and mysterious the universe is to us still! The exciting things waiting to be discovered are theoretically limitless!

The image of this dust was captured by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Observational Orbiter. The orbiter was launched in 2006 and since then has only captured 1% of Mars' surface at its high resolution quality.

In the coming winter seasons the gas will once again freeze and form larger ice caps.

P.S. Dry ice can be made to use comets! http://www.dryiceinfo.com/science.htm

Neat!

APOD 1.3

Great Orion Nebulae
2011 September 13
One of the greatest and brightest nebulas in the night sky is visable now just south of Orion's Belt. This is known as the "Great Orion Nebulae", "Great Nebula in Orion", or even M42. It is made of of two nebula in close proximity to one another the one on the right is full of gaseous young stars making it appear red, while the nebula to the left is actually a reflection nebula. In addition, it is estimated to be 24 light years across and be the closest reigon of massive star formation to Earth. I think it will be exciting to look for this bright cluster in tonight's sky; thank goodness I can see it with my naked eye!