Environmental Graffiti

The Aurora Seen from Space [PICS]

You've seen amazing images of the Aurora Borealis and its counterpart, the Aurora Australis here on Environmental Graffiti in the past, but now you have a chance to see them as never before: from space. If you think the view down on Earth is incredible beyond words, wait until you see what these natural light phenomena look like from the International Space Station and through the lens of the Hubble Telescope.

Continue reading...

The Countless Colours of Saturn

Let's take a closer look as the atmosphere and ring system of Cronos, properly known as Saturn. The instruments on the Cassini spacecraft collect data at multiple wavelengths – infrared, ultraviolet and visual. Our understanding of the complexity and dynamic activity in Saturn's atmosphere and ring system has thereby been dramatically enlarged, and our sense of wonder immeasurably increased.

Continue reading...

The Moons of the Ringed Gas Giant: Saturn

On February 24, 2009, four of Saturn's moons transited the planet. A fortuitous line of sight allowed the Cassini spacecraft to capture Dione, Enceladus, Mimas and Titan in a single, extraordinary photograph. Remarkable space probe data allow us to better understand this dynamic and complex planet.

Continue reading...

Massive Exo-Planet 63 Light-Years Away Photographed

Beta Pictoris is a fascinating star not far from our sun. It has two discs within which planetesimals collide and planets form. Its largest planet, is hot, young and the first close orbit planet to be photographed. First images of Beta Pictoris's disc were obtained in 1984. Such stellar discs are 'young' by astronomical standards and inside the disc of Beta Pictoris is a clear zone about the diameter of our solar system.

Continue reading...

Where Do Satellites Go When They Die?

No matter how often we hear about the developed world becoming more like Big Brother every day, it’s not until you see images that these from NASA that you get creeped out. How much are we being watched, traced, listened to, recorded? Anyone who has ever read George Orwell’s novel, 1984, might have seen it coming.

Continue reading...