Posted on 01/05/2021 3:18:41 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: What is the Small Magellanic Cloud? It has turned out to be a galaxy. People who have wondered about this little fuzzy patch in the southern sky included Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and his crew, who had plenty of time to study the unfamiliar night sky of the south during the first circumnavigation of planet Earth in the early 1500s. As a result, two celestial wonders easily visible for southern hemisphere skygazers are now known in Western culture as the Clouds of Magellan. Within the past 100 years, research has shown that these cosmic clouds are dwarf irregular galaxies, satellites of our larger spiral Milky Way Galaxy. The Small Magellanic Cloud actually spans 15,000 light-years or so and contains several hundred million stars. About 210,000 light-years away in the constellation of the Tucan (Tucana), it is more distant than other known Milky Way satellite galaxies, including the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud. This sharp image also includes the foreground globular star cluster 47 Tucanae on the right.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then zoom by moving the magnifying glass over an area and then clicking. The side bars will move the zoomed area over the photograph.
Today's explanation has a link to a furry pet at the link.
Can you imagine how bright the stars and other heavenly objects must have been in Magellan’s time, especially out in the open seas?
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When you are at sea more than 25 miles from shore they are just as bright today as they ever have been. Light pollution on land reaches all the way down to my back yard and contending with the the neighbors LED security lights.
I did lots of star gazing at sea and could surprise most Quartermasters with what a hole snipe knew about celestial navigation.
I knew there would be a cheeseburger somewhere in this post! But, no Pepsi.
I have done star watching while sailing offshore in the Atlantic.
Oh, right on. Man, I would have loved to see the Great Conjunction this year on the sail as you describe. That would have been something.
“Cause if you could take care, if you were a quartermaster, you can sure in hell take care runnin’ a, you know, a department store, uh, thing, you know, where, in the second floor of the ladies department or whatever,... you know what I mean?”
--Then Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden at a campaign event in Tampa, Fla, Sept 15, 2020
Ian Schwartz, Real Clear Politics, Sept 15, 2020
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Sorry! Couldn't resist. :)
I saw you were back ETL. I thought antifa might have captured you.
Even if you buy one of those 2021 459 HP electric Mustang GT's that goes 0-to-60 in 3-seconds...
With a range of 235 miles between charges, it will require knowing where the 6x10292 charging stations along the way are located...
Great picture...
I do not post to your daily pics often but do appreciate them. Sometimes the views are outstanding and sometimes breathtaking. This one is breathtaking!
The wonders of the universe astound me. Some people seem to think that we humans on this small planet are the only life in the universe. Let them look at this picture to change their minds. ;-)
Yeah, shoulda just said ‘boat driver’.
Thanks for posting. I know most people who look at the photos don’t post to the thread.
I remember interviews I’ve seen with escapees from North Korea.
One of the things they really seem to miss is being able to see the stars at night.
(Not much light pollution in NK.)
“I did lots of star gazing at sea and could surprise most Quartermasters with what a hole snipe knew about celestial navigation.”
And look what happened! You lost your heading and ended up in Kansas!
It wasn’t at all meant as a joke on you, and rather 100% on that senile degenerate Biden.
Nothing at all wrong with your use of the word. :)
Seeing it simply brought to mind Peking Joe’s incoherent rambling from Sept 2020.
I always loved finding the globular clusters in Messier’s list when I was searching for them, but alas Messier never had a chance of finding this one.
Out around Castle Rock, you know, the REALY flat, desolate part, kinda reminds you of being some where between Howland/ Baker Islands and Midway. Whole lotta nuthin but especially no sharks.
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