In the Center of the Trifid Nebula

Clouds of glowing gas mingle with dust lanes in the Trifid Nebula, a star forming region toward the constellation of the Archer (Sagittarius). In the center, the three prominent dust lanes that give the Trifid its name all come together. Mountains of opaque dust appear on the right, while other dark filaments of dust are visible threaded throughout the nebula. A single massive star visible near the center causes much of the Trifid's glow. The Trifid, also known as M20, is only about 300,000 years old, making it among the youngest emission nebulae known. The nebula lies about 9,000 light years away and the part pictured here spans about 10 light years. The above image is a composite with luminance taken from an image by the 8.2-m ground-based Subaru Telescope, detail provided by the 2.4-m orbiting Hubble Space Telescope, color data provided by Martin Pugh and image assembly and processing provided by Robert Gendler.

Tornadoes producing damage on the ground detectible by dual-polarization radar

This is kind of old, 2010, but it seemed to cool to pass up. From a NSSL article.

Recent analysis of data from NOAA NSSL’s prototype dual-polarization radar during a significant tornado outbreak in central Oklahoma this past spring showed debris from a damaging tornado.  This critical information can help a forecaster confirm the presence of a rain-wrapped tornado, or a tornado at night causing damage on the ground.

Dual-polarization technology can help detect debris from a damaging tornado

Current NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) radars send a horizontal electromagnetic wave field into the sky.  When the wave field bounces off an object in its path, it is reflected back to the radar and gives a measurement of the horizontal size of that object.  Dual-polarization radar sends both horizontal and vertical electromagnetic wave fields, giving a forecaster a measure of the size and shape of the object.  Combining and comparing these measurements can categorize rain, hail, snow, birds, insects, and tornado debris.  All NOAA National Weather Service radars will be upgraded with dual-polarization technology beginning in late 2010.
NSSL researchers studying the tornado outbreak confirmed four rotation signatures in the radar velocity data.  Tornado warnings had been issued based on this information.  However, these measurements cannot confirm tornadoes are causing damage on the ground because the radar beam is above ground level.
NSSL research showed dual-polarization radar data identifies debris signatures differently from radar echoes.   Leaves, shingles or insulation are randomly oriented, while precipitation echoes behave fairly predictably.
Tornado debris signatures were identified by researchers in the dual-polarized data from the May 10, 2010 outbreak indicating a rain-wrapped tornado was producing damage on the ground.  This tornado killed two people.
NSSL developed, tested and evaluated dual-polarization technology over the past 25 years, culminating in a demonstration project that convinced the NWS to upgrade all their radars with this technology.

Birds in Dual-Pol, KMLB

We had a nice ascending bird flock over the St. Johns basin at sunrise. Look at the upper right frame where Dual Pol differential reflectivity (Zdr) shows strongly positive values (red/pink) indicating horizontally aligned reflectors. Birds with extended wings in flight. Correlation coefficient (CC) values showed larger variation supporting non-uniformity in the sampling, also reasonable with non-meteorological biological echoes.

Pyrocumulus near HGX Radar

Here is a view of a pyrocumulus cloud - formed when rising air warmed by a wildfire rises to the point where the water vapor in the air can condense out and produce clouds. This fire was located near our office Saturday afternoon and is shown on our local KHGX radar and GOES weather satellite imagery as well.

NGC 4372 and the Dark Doodad

The delightful Dark Doodad Nebula drifts through southern skies, a tantalizing target for binoculars in the constellation Musca, The Fly. The dusty cosmic cloud is seen against rich starfields just south of the prominent Coalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross. Stretching for about 3 degrees across this scene the Dark Doodad seems punctuated at its southern tip (lower left) by globular star cluster NGC 4372. Of course NGC 4372 roams the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy, a background object some 20,000 light-years away and only by chance along our line-of-sight to the Dark Doodad. The Dark Doodad's well defined silhouette belongs to the Musca molecular cloud, but its better known alliterative moniker was first coined by astro-imager and writer Dennis di Cicco in 1986 while observing comet Halley from the Australian outback. The Dark Doodad is around 700 light-years distant and over 30 light-years long.

Remembering Columbia

Photo of Ilan Ramon

10 years ago today I remember waking up early excited to catch another landing. I tuned in to NASA TV and started the VCR. Littler did I know that 26 minutes later the shuttle Columbia would break up over Texas. Even today I still can't believe it happened, let alone that it's been 10 years! The Columbia was my favorite shuttle as a kid. When it was destroyed and crew lost, I followed the investigation from day one. I will always remember that day and that crew. Never forget them.

Hail Columbia and her crew!

NASA and the world lost seven brave explorers on Feb. 1, 2003, when the shuttle Columbia broke apart during re-entry. In this photo from a roll of unprocessed film recovered by searchers, the STS-107 crew strikes a flying pose for their traditional in-flight crew portrait. Top row, from left: David M. Brown, mission specialist; William C. McCool, pilot; and Michael P. Anderson, payload commander. Bottom row, from left: Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; Rick D. Husband, mission commander; Laurel B. Clark, mission specialist; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist from the Israeli Space Agency. Image Credit: NASA + Flash Feature: Day of Remembrance

Remembering Challenger

The NASA family lost seven of its own on the morning of January 28, 1986, when a booster failed, causing the Shuttle Challenger to break apart just 73 seconds after launch. The crew of STS-51-L: Front row from left, Mike Smith, Dick Scobee, Ron McNair. Back row from left, Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Greg Jarvis, Judith Resnik.

The Challenger 7

CNN was the only news network at the time broadcasting the launch of STS-51L. If you click the link you can watch the launch as it happened. Launch coverage begins about 1:15 into the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk_wi4QD5WE

  Later that evening President Reagan addressed the nation regarding the loss of the Shuttle Challenger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa7icmqgsow


"We'vegrown used to the idea of space, and, perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We'restill pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers..."
"...We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them,this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped thesurly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."
                         -Ronald Reagan