M81 and M82 in a gravitational cosmic dance.

 

Galaxies M81 and M82 in Ursa Major. Captured at the JPO using the Seestar S30. Image credit: Kurt Thrust.

"Kurt is sitting in the 'Visitor Centre' after having been discharged from the hospital. With nothing much to do, he asked Google Gemini AI to create a time-lapse video clip of the gravitational interplay between the two spiral galaxies over 25 million years, using the above image and Astrophysics.

Now, here at the JPO, we all take AI with a big 'pinch of salt' and the following video may be more 'scraped' than 'calculated' but we all thought it was worth posting for general interest." - Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Deep Time and the Cosmos

 

"As Einstein would have said, there is no preferred frame of reference. Everything in the cosmos is moving and separated by vast distances. Mostly from our frame of reference, both in time and space, stars and the like seem unchanging. This is only an illusion created by the brevity of human life compared with the life of stars and the enormous size of the Cosmos. 

Kurt, some time ago had captured an image of the Plough asterism in the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear and I decided to ask Google Gemini AI to create a stop motion video clip showing how his image of the Plough would change over 10 million years in 500,000 year increments. The AI was tasked with taking into account relative movement and the life and death of stars. I was rather impressed by the result which I assume is realistic as well as beautiful" - Joel Cairo CEO the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Kurt Thrust is unwell.

 

Image Credit: SOHO Solar Observatory. Lower image derived from the SOHO image and processed by Kurt on his smartphone.

" The trouble with having a very old astronomer, like Kurt Thrust as the Observatory Director, is that sooner or later they become a bit unwell and unable to do their job. Quite honestly, the JPO Team has been covering for him for some time and we all have been keeping him going with a steady stream of tea, sympathy and incontinence pads. Anyway and quite unexpectedly, Kurt was admitted to hospital for tests but we hope to see his return to the Observatory in the next few days. In the meantime, he has insisted that posts should continue and that the blog should not go 'Dark'. What an astronomical trooper!🔭🤣" Joel Cairo CEO of the JPO the UK's most easterly Astronomical Observatory

" The above images showing the  current view of the solar photosphere were obtained and derived from the SOHO satellite. I was rather annoyed, that I wasn't back at the Jodrell Plank Observatory and able to image sunspot group 4465 using the 127mm apo refractor, a Baader white light filter and our latest fast video camera. I'm down but not out! " Kurt Thrust still the current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The Flaming Star in the constellation Auriga - NGC 405

 

NGC 405 The Flaming Star Reflection Nebula in the Constellation Auriga.
Seestar S30. Processed in RGB -SHO palette. Image Credit: Pip Stakkert.

" The one thing we have in depth at the Jodrell Plank Observatory is data! Loads of the stuff held; on drives, memory sticks and discs from times gone by! So when the nights become short in summer or when the weather takes a turn for the worse, our team at the JPO resort to the existing data for 'shots and giggles'.

This afternoon our specialist imaging engineer, Pip Stakkert, used a variety of software to process data captured with our Seestar S30. 

NGC 405, the Flame Nebula, in the constellation Auriga, is an interesting nebula in that it exhibits both emission and reflection nebulosity. This however, makes processing tricky. Pip decided to use the SHO (Sulphur, Hydrogen and Oxygen) colour palette and this very much enabled the blue emission nebula to be 'showcased' against the very bright Hydrogen Alpha nebulosity, which in standard RGB format overwhelms it". - Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

NGC 405 The Flaming Star Nebula

"The Flaming Star Nebula, designated IC 405, is a complex emission and reflection nebula located approximately 1,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Auriga. It is one of the most striking examples of a nebular region in which both ionized gas and interstellar dust contribute significantly to the observed appearance.

At the heart of the nebula lies the hot, blue O-type star AE Aurigae, whose intense ultraviolet radiation interacts with the surrounding interstellar medium. The red portions of IC 405 are produced by emission nebula processes: ultraviolet photons from AE Aurigae ionize hydrogen atoms within the gas cloud, and when the electrons recombine with the hydrogen nuclei, they emit characteristic red hydrogen-alpha radiation. Interwoven with these glowing regions are blue filaments and wisps formed by reflection nebula processes, where microscopic dust grains scatter and reflect the blue light of the star. This combination of red emission and blue reflection gives the nebula its distinctive colour contrast.

The nebula's dramatic “flaming” appearance arises from complex filamentary structures of gas and dust that seem to stream away from AE Aurigae in long-exposure images. Current evidence suggests that AE Aurigae is a runaway star, moving at high velocity through the interstellar medium after being ejected from the region of the Orion Nebula several million years ago. As the star travels through the cloud, its radiation and stellar wind compress, heat, and illuminate the surrounding material, helping to shape the nebula's intricate morphology.

Infrared and ultraviolet observations have revealed that IC 405 contains not only ionized hydrogen but also molecular hydrogen, warm dust, and complex carbon-bearing molecules. The interaction between AE Aurigae and the nebular material produces shock fronts and regions of enhanced heating, making IC 405 an important laboratory for studying the physics of star–cloud interactions, dust scattering, molecular excitation, and the evolution of the interstellar medium".

Scientifically, the Flaming Star Nebula is therefore not merely a visually beautiful object; it is a dynamic astrophysical environment in which radiation, gas dynamics, dust physics, and stellar motion combine to create a remarkable example of an emission–reflection nebular complex". - Professor G.P.T Chat visiting astrophysicist at the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The same image of NGC405 but rendered in modified RGB palette.

Double Bow over the JPO.

 

"Double Rainbow over the JPO, the UK's most easterly Astronomical Observatory". - Noah the Jodrell Plank Observatory shipping consultant.

The Sun and the Sky at Night - A Perfect Storm

 

Jolene's completed White and Red light Safety Solar Filter
used with the JPO's Seestar S30
to capture recent images of the Solar Photosphere.
 

" Our sponsor George Roberts was so pleased with Kurt's recent solar images using Jolene's bespoke filter that he uploaded one of the photographs to his and the BBC 'Sky at Night' Flickr accounts. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nightskyobserver/

https://www.flickr.com/groups/bbcskyatnight/

George received an email advising him that one of our solar images would be shown on The Sky at Night program to be broadcast on the 08 June BBC Four and subsequently made available on BBC iPlayer  -  'Space Weather: The Perfect Storm'.

I have included a short and relevant video clip taken from iPlayer but would recommend those interested in 'space weather', to view the whole program, which is both informative and interesting." -Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Sinus Iridum - The Bay of Rainbows

 

Images captured from the Jodrell Plank Observatory using the 127 mm. Meade Apo Refractor and the Seestar S30. Data and image credit: Pip Stakkert.

"The other evening, our imaging technician Pip was using the  Seestar S30 to photograph the waxing gibbous lunar disc. He noticed that the 'Terminator' or 'daybreak on the Moon' was about to cross the prominent feature Sinus Iridum - The Bay of Rainbows. Sunlight had just touched the peaks of the crater walls creating the effect known as the 'golden handle'. This can just be seen top left in the bottom image". - Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Key features of Sinus Iridum - Lunar notes - from Professor G.P.T Chat visiting astrophysicist at the JPO.

Sinus Iridum (Latin for "Bay of Rainbows") is one of the most striking basalt-flooded impact structures on the near side of the Moon. It forms a broad semicircular embayment on the northwestern margin of Mare Imbrium and is enclosed by the rugged arc of the Montes Jura mountain range. To lunar observers it appears as a near-perfect luminous crescent when illuminated at low solar angles, making it one of the most recognizable features on the lunar disc.

Position on the Lunar Disc

Sinus Iridum lies at approximately 44°N latitude and 31°W longitude on the Moon's near side. Because it occupies the northwestern sector of Mare Imbrium, it appears in the Moon's upper-left quadrant as viewed through most astronomical telescopes that present an upright image. The feature is roughly 240–260 km in diameter and opens southeastward into Mare Imbrium. The enclosing Jura Mountains are remnants of the original crater rim, rising locally several kilometres above the mare floor.

Origin as a Large Impact Basin

Sinus Iridum began as a major impact crater formed during the late stages of the heavy bombardment that shaped much of the lunar crust. The impact excavated a large bowl-shaped basin and produced an elevated rim composed largely of anorthositic highland material. The southeastern portion of the rim was later breached and largely buried when extensive volcanic flooding associated with Mare Imbrium spread into the crater.

The result is not a true bay in the terrestrial sense, but rather the flooded remains of a large impact structure whose interior became connected to the surrounding mare plains. The surviving rim forms the dramatic semicircular wall visible today.

Geological Composition

The floor of Sinus Iridum consists predominantly of mare basalts emplaced during multiple volcanic episodes. Remote-sensing studies using data from the Clementine mission, Chandrayaan-1, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and China's Chang'E program show that these lavas vary in composition and age across the basin.

Key geological characteristics include:

• Basaltic mare plains rich in pyroxene-bearing volcanic rocks.
• Progression from low-titanium basalts in older lava units to medium-titanium basalts in younger units.
• Evidence for increasing olivine abundance in some younger volcanic materials.
• Wrinkle ridges, tectonic deformation features caused by contraction of cooling lava plains.
• Small impact craters, crater chains, and rilles recording later geological modification.

The surrounding Montes Jura remain compositionally distinct from the mare floor, consisting mainly of feldspathic highland crust excavated during the original impact event.

Age and Volcanic History

Modern crater-count dating reveals that Sinus Iridum experienced a prolonged history of volcanic resurfacing rather than a single flooding event.

The oldest exposed mare units have model ages of approximately 3.37 billion years, corresponding to the Imbrian period. Younger lava flows continued entering the basin from Mare Imbrium for more than two billion years afterward. Some of the youngest recognized basaltic units have ages near 1.24 billion years, making them among the youngest extensive mare volcanics on the Moon.

The sequence is interpreted as repeated episodes of lava entering the partially enclosed basin from the larger Imbrium volcanic province. Rather than being filled from a single central vent, Sinus Iridum appears to have been resurfaced multiple times by flows arriving from adjacent mare regions.

Tectonic Evolution

Following emplacement of the mare basalts, the region underwent tectonic deformation associated with cooling and subsidence of the volcanic plains.

Researchers using data from the Japanese SELENE (Kaguya) mission and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter identified wrinkle ridges and compressional structures whose formation may have continued into relatively recent lunar history. These structures reflect crustal shortening caused by the weight and contraction of the basaltic fill.

Spacecraft Investigations

Several lunar missions have studied Sinus Iridum in detail.

NASA Missions

• The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has provided high-resolution imagery, topographic measurements from LOLA, and compositional information used in modern geological mapping.
• Earlier missions including Clementine supplied multispectral data that helped determine iron and titanium abundances.

Japanese Investigations

• SELENE obtained detailed terrain and imaging data used to investigate tectonic structures and wrinkle ridges throughout northwestern Mare Imbrium and Sinus Iridum.

Chinese Investigations

• Chang'e 2 produced high-resolution imagery used in detailed geological mapping and age determinations.
• Sinus Iridum was seriously evaluated as a candidate landing area for later Chinese robotic and sample-return missions because of its smooth terrain and geological diversity.

Although no spacecraft has yet landed within Sinus Iridum itself, it remains scientifically attractive because it exposes the interaction between impact-basin formation, mare volcanism, and tectonic deformation in a single locality. 

Captured from the JPO
and previously published on the blog