Magazine Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most famous nebulae on the sky. It is visible as the dark indentation to the red emission nebula in the center of the above photograph. The horse-head feature is dark because it is really an opaque dust cloud that lies in front of the bright red emission nebula. Like clouds in Earth's atmosphere, this cosmic cloud has assumed a recognizable shape by chance. After many thousands of years, the internal motions of the cloud will surely alter its appearance. The emission nebula's red color is caused by electrons recombining with protons to form hydrogen atoms. On the image left is the Flame Nebula, an orange-tinged nebula that also contains filaments of dark dust. Just to the lower left of the Horsehead nebula featured picture is a blueish reflection nebulae that preferentially reflects the blue light from nearby stars.

Photo by José Jiménez Priego

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

After sunset on October 3, some of the Solar System's largest moons stood low along the western horizon with the largest planet. Just after nightfall, a pairing of the Moon approaching first quarter phase and Jupiter was captured in this telephoto field of view. A blend of short and long exposures, it reveals the familiar face of our fair planet's own large natural satellite in stark sunlight and faint earthshine. At lower right are the ruling gas giant and its four Galilean moons. Left to right, the tiny pinpricks of light are Ganymede, [Jupiter], Io, Europa, and Callisto. Our own natural satellite appears to loom large because it's close, but Ganymede, Io, and Callisto are actually larger than Earth's Moon. Water world Europa is only slightly smaller. Of the Solar System's six largest planetary satellites, only Saturn's moon Titan, is missing from this scene. But be sure to check for large moons in your sky tonight. Submitted to APOD: The Moon and Jupiter with its Satellites

Photo by Derek Demeter

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Clouds drift through the sky as the light fades near sunset in this three frame animated gif. The scene was captured on sol 145 beginning around 6:30pm local time by a camera on the Mars InSight lander. Of course, InSight's martian day, sol 145, corresponds to Earth calendar date April 25, 2019. Under the 69 centimeter (2.3 foot) diameter dome in the foreground is the lander's sensitive seismometer SEIS designed to detect marsquakes. Earthquakes reveal internal structures on planet Earth, and so tremors detected by SEIS can explore beneath the martian surface. In particular, two typical marsquakes were recorded by SEIS on May 22 (sol 173) and July 25 (sol 235). The subtle tremors from the Red Planet are at very low frequencies though, and for listening have to be processed into the audio frequency range. In the sped up recordings external noises more prevalent on cool martian evenings and likely caused by mechanical shifts and contractions have been technically dubbed dinks and donks.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Gorgeous spiral galaxy M33 seems to have more than its fair share of glowing hydrogen gas. A prominent member of the local group of galaxies, M33 is also known as the Triangulum Galaxy and lies a mere 3 million light-years away. The galaxy's inner 30,000 light-years or so are shown in this magnificent 25 panel telescopic mosaic. Based on image data from space and ground-based telescopes, the portrait of M33 shows off the galaxy's reddish ionized hydrogen clouds or HII regions. Sprawling along loose spiral arms that wind toward the core, M33's giant HII regions are some of the largest known stellar nurseries, sites of the formation of short-lived but very massive stars. Intense ultraviolet radiation from the luminous, massive stars ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas and ultimately produces the characteristic red glow. To enhance this image, broadband data was used to produce a color view of the galaxy and combined with narrowband data recorded through a hydrogen-alpha filter. That filter transmits the light of the strongest visible hydrogen emission line.

Friday Harbor Film Festival is nearly here! Come celebrate the film, WILD, with your family and friends!
WILD is a documentary about Alaska's Bristol Bay. This is a family friendly event that is also very educational! Spread the word. See you there! 

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!

When: Friday and Saturday, October 26th and 27th, 2019 at 1:00 pm
Phone: 360-298-1939
Email: info@fhff.org
Address: 10 First St, Friday Harbor, Washington 98250

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

They are not alive -- but they are dying. The unusual forms found in the Carina nebula, a few of which are featured here, might best be described as evaporating. Energetic light and winds from nearby stars are breaking apart the dark dust grains that make the iconic forms opaque. Ironically the figures, otherwise known as dark molecular clouds or bright rimmed globules, frequently create in their midst the very stars that later destroy them. The floating space structures pictured here by the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope span a few light months. The Great Nebula in Carina itself spans about 30 light years, lies about 7,500 light years away, and can be seen with a small telescope toward the constellation of Keel(Carina).

Astronomy for all! Come learn some basic astronomy principles on Monday evenings at the Oak Harbor Library!

These meetings are family friendly, and great educational fun. Meetings are presented by members of the Island County Astronomical Society. No experience necessary. 

Come learn about astronomy and ask any questions that you may have!

When: Monday, October 21st, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Address: 1000 SE Regatta Dr, Oak Harbor, Washington 98277

Phone: 360-722-7459

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

An old Moon rose this morning, its waning sunlit crescent shining just above the eastern horizon before sunrise. But earthshine, light reflected from a bright planet Earth, lit the shadowed portion of the lunar disk and revealed most of a familiar lunar near side to early morning risers. In fact, a description of earthshine in terms of sunlight reflected by Earth's oceans illuminating the Moon's dark surface was written over 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. One lunation ago this old Moon also rose above the eastern horizon. Its sunlit crescent and da Vinci glow were captured in stacked exposures from the Badain Jilin Desert of Inner Mongolia, China on August 29, 2019. This year marks the 500th anniversary of Leondardo da Vinci's death.

Photo by Likai Lin

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190925.html
Image Credit & Copyright: Yannick Akar

Join the Anacortes Farmers Market each Saturday from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm!

You'll find handmade items like soap and honey, fine arts & crafts, candles, clothes, jewelry and more!
Pick up some homegrown produce such as veggies, fruits, eggs, meat and fish while you relax to live music in the background!

Bring the kids along for kids activities that take place from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm.

There will have hot food options available as well as an outdoor cafe. You can find the master gardeners plant clinic indoors or relax and enjoy the sculpture garden and madrone grove next door! 

It's truly fun for everyone  - see you there!

When: Saturday's until October 26th, 2019 at 9:00 am

Address: 611 R Ave, Anacortes, Washington 98221

Phone: 360-293-7922 
Email: anacortesfarmersmarket.org" style="color: rgb(56, 88, 152); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; font-family: inherit;">info@anacortesfarmersmarket.org

Come join the monthly work party at Walker Valley ORV park! The community is in need of volunteers to perform maintenance in the ORV area.This is a great opportunity to give back to the park that so freely gives to our community! 

When: Saturday, October 12th, 2019 at 8:00 am
Address: 18652 Peter Burns Rd, Mount Vernon, Washington 98274