as of late i've been fascinated with the smithsonian institution's flickr set of images created by NASA's chandra x-ray observatory. launched by the space shuttle columbia in 1999, its the most sophisticated x-ray observatory to date. the page explains:
"Chandra is helping scientists better understand the hot, turbulent regions of space and answer fundamental questions about origin, evolution, and destiny of the Universe."
the images are accompanied by great explainations, and in short, are mind blowing. here are a few favorites.
the orion nebula
stellar debris
planetary nebulas, fast winds from dying stars
a mysterious elliptical galaxy
hot gas in the milky way center
the super massive black hole at the center of our galaxy
i find it awesome that institutions like the smithsonian are utilizing social networking methods like flickr to broaden access to their collections. super neat, right?
oh man! 'planetary nebulas, fast winds from dying stars' is amazing! this little universe of ours is some kind of beautiful!
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