Saturday, January 24, 2015

2015 has been named the International Year of Light (and light-based technologies) by the United Nations

NASA releases breathtaking new space images in honor of the International Year of Light

 January 22  
2015 has been named the International Year of Light (and light-based technologies) by the United Nations, and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has some special treats to help kick it off.
As you can probably guess based on its name, the Chandra X-ray observatory (launched in 1999) captures the X-rays emitted by celestial objects. But X-rays are just one piece of the full spectrum of light.
These images all combine data from multiple telescopes -- ones that are tuned to capture different wavelengths of light -- to create one stunning picture. You can see the individual shots that made up the composite images at the Chandra Web site.
The observatory is also running a project called "Light: Beyond the Bulb" where scientists and artists can submit their own examples of the power of light. From bio-luminescent lakes to psychedelic shots of light-bulbs under X-rays, the collection will give you a new appreciation of just how beautiful -- and varied -- light is in our universe.
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