A spot in the sun (AMAZING PICTURE)

[Rosco T.]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=407636&in_page_id=1770

A spot in the sun

29th September 2006

It looks like a speck of dust on the surface of the sun. But this spectacular picture shows the space shuttle Atlantis alongside the International Space Station (ISS) silhouetted as they orbit the earth.

The image was taken in Normandy by French astrophotographer Thierry Legault. He used a digital camera attached to a £5,000 specially kitted-out telescope.

The shuttle, which returned last week from a 12-day mission, and the space station can be seen in orbit 250 miles above the earth while the sun is 93 million miles away.

[ClintonTyree]

1. The back lighting adjustment......

on that camera must be a killer! That's some picture alright. I couldn't figure out what it was before I read the accompanying story. Weird! :scared:

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

2. Incredible

I don't think I'll ever truly comprehend how infinitely tiny and insignificant we are.

[mainegreen]

3. The sun is inconceivably huge.

This picture points it out very well. I don't doubt each of those different toned yellow specks are bigger than the earth.

[bbernardini]

4. If I may quote...

...from "Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass of Incandescent Gas)":

"If the sun were hollow, a million Earths would fit inside
And yet, it is only a middle size star."

[troubleinwinter]

9. Twinkle, twinkle

Twinkle, twinkle, little star...
How I wonder what you are...
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle little star...
Now I know just what you are...
An incandescent ball of gas,
Condensing to a solid mass.

~George W. Bunton

Well, the first half was written in 1806, but the second half was written by my grandfather, astronomer G.W. Bunton.

I grew up reciting it that way!

[Rosco T.]

7. pretty much...

[zbdent]

5. One of my favorite posters I had seen was

a guy out in the desert using binoculars to look at the sun ... and two spots on the back of his head were smouldering ...

Another I liked was what could be considered a "catapult" - spears stuck in an elephant's trunk, and a man with a large mallet getting ready to strike the elephant's, um, jewels ...

[Ezlivin]

6. Now we need to see some pictures of the Apollo landing sites

You know, just so we can be sure they didn't fake that.

:)

[Straight Shooter]

8. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing. n/t

[symbolman]

10. Damnit

We TOLD those POLISH Astronauts NOT to undertake a Mission to the Sun during THE DAY! :)