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Archive for November, 2009

Nov
26

Chaitén Volcano

Posted under Earth Science • Volcanoes • Wallpaper
Chaitén

Eruption of Chile's Chaitén volcano,
generating a spectacular lightning storm.

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Lightning bolts appear above and around the Chaitén volcano in southern Chile as seen from Chana, some 30 kilometers north of the volcano. The mingling of lightning and ash is a so called dirty thunderstorm. These storms may be sparked when rock fragments, ash, and ice particles in the plume collide to produce static charges, just as ice particles collide to create charge in regular thunderstorms.

Image Credit: Carlos Gutierrez/UPI/astroarts.org

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Nov
01

Tethys – Battered and Grooved

Posted under Cassini • Tethys
cassini_tethys_mosaic_Oct14_2009

Saturn's Moon Tethys from Cassini.

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A mosaic of four images of Tethys (1.071 kilometers across) taken on October 14, 2009, with Cassini’s narrow angle camera. The view is towards the Saturn-facing hemisphere.
Near center lies the large crater Penelope, overprinted by many smaller, younger impact sites.
Three smaller impact features of roughly similar size make a line to the right of Penelope. Those craters are (from top) Ajax, Polyphemus and Phemius.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute/Mosaic by astroarts.org

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