One of the most incredible things about the universe is its inherent ability to still throw so many surprises our way. One of those mysteries can be found in the form of “blue stragglers,” hot, high-mass, blue-white stars that burn fiercely loonnng past their expiration date. Could the mechanism driving their survival be a little bit of interstellar vampirism? Maybe.

Read More: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/blue-stragglers-the-blood-suckers-of-the-universe/

Image Source: http://wolgemuthe.psd401.net/Global%20sci/05%20-%20astronomy/images/scaleBlueSuperGiant.jpg

source

The Perfect Moment (6 Hours ago)

Malaysia / March 18 2013

Image Credit : Justin Ng

http://500px.com/photo/28509965

Could a star die twice?

When stars of mass similar to our sun die, they eject much of the outer atmosphere into space, leaving a hot smaller core that will become a white dwarf. The shells of the ejected material resemble planets, so they are called planetary nebulae. Studying the motion and appearance of those can tell scientists a lot.

KjPn 8 is a peculiar kind of planetary nebula, actually being a planetary nebula inside another one. It’s a rare one of its kind (with only another one in the northern hemisphere) and its central star was finally revealed in 2000 by the Hubble Space Telescope.

read more here

Sources:

The paper: http://bit.ly/ZMDMnq

Sources: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085842.htm http://www.universetoday.com/100337/greek-observatory-probes-ancient-star/

Image: Located in the Constellation of Cassiopeia at RA 23h 24m 10s and DEC +60d 57m 30s, KjPn 8 an unusual planetary nebula. Blue stands for oxygen and red for hydrogen-alpha (hydrogen in a particular wavelength) 
Credit: T.A. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage, H. Schweiker/WIYN and NOAO/AURA/NSF

Under The Night Sky

Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Focal Length 16mm
Shutter Speed 30 sec

from Knate Myers Photography

tar Shepherd - Bass Harbor Lighthouse - Acadia National Park, Maine
This is a 20 frame panoramic taken at Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Acadia National Park, Maine. 

View on 500px - http://500px.com/photo/12227767

Another gorgeous image sent to us by Jack Fusco Photography.
www.jackfusco.com

IF I DON’T MESS UP I WILL BE GOING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL IN MAINE, OH GOD I WANT IT SO BAD! 

What is a supernova?:http://www.space.com/6638-supernova.html