APOD 2.7

Here is a photograph of a fireball visible during the Geminid Meteor shower of mid-December, seen above Mount Balang in China.  In the upper portion of this photograph, the three stars that make up Orion's Belt shine brightly. Also, Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky is visible near the center of the image. This fireball, like the majority of all others, flashed for a mere second as it crossed the night sky.

Sources for Astronomer Biography Q2

 

"Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 4: 1700 to 1799. Detroit: Gale, 2000. 365. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

 

"Nicolas Louis De Lacaille (French Astronomer)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

 

"Nicholas Louis De Lacaille (1713-62)." Nicholas Louis De Lacaille (1713-62). N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

APOD 2.6

This photograph was taken in 2009 above Tromso Norway, featuring a stunning display of the so-called "Northern Lights" or Aurora Borealis. It also captures a flash of the fireball from a meteor during the Geminid Meteor Shower, which occurs on a regular yearly basis.

APOD 2.5

This photograph was taken in Valle de la Luma, in the vast Chilean Atacam Desert. Along the horizon, lights from San Pedro are visible. The Atacama Desert is an ideal location for astronomical observation due to the lack of light pollution. Four nearby galaxies are visible in this photograph; from left to right they are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the central bulge of our own Milky Way Galaxy, and the Andromeda Galaxy.

APOD 2.4

Photographed here is one of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, Europa. This moon is covered in ice, and is believed to have an ocean of water just underneath the surface. Europa continues to be a place of definite interest for astronomers and scientists looking for evidence of extraterrestrial life.