High Resolution Pictures

The burning sun begins to set behind a large volcano.

Pictures of the day - November 25, 2018

Battered Ice moon. The surface shows extensive modification from tectonic processes and cryovolcanism. The moon has a thin methane and carbon monoxide atmosphere, the methane of which is broken down into complex hydrocarbons which rain down on the surface giving the moon its multicolored appearance.

High Resolution Pictures

Chaotic Surface

Canyon Sunrise

Picture of the Day - February 13, 2019 (Late post)

Uniquely colored desert world with life.

Triangulum Log - Post 4 - The Vista System (First Planet)

Top image shows the Andromeda Galaxy rising above the inner-most dwarf planet. From here, the great spiral galaxy covers over 11 degrees of the sky or almost 22 times larger than a full moon on Earth.

Other three images show the inner-most planet, a large ice giant 50 times the mass of Earth orbiting 0.30 AU from the sun.

In the last shot, each of the small stars in the background are actually large bright asteroids in the systems asteroid belt.

High Resolution Links Below

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Rains on Different Worlds

Pictures of the Day December 1, 2018

Insight System - Insight B-II

The second planet orbiting Insight B. This world is a more extreme version of Venus that is choked in a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere 427 times thicker than Earths. Unlike Venus, the atmosphere is humid, water vapor comprises 6.45% of the planet’s atmosphere, further amplifying the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere.

Insight B-II is a super earth with approximately 5.28 Earth’s masses, and a radius of 1.39 Earth Radii. The planet is quite dense and has a surface gravity of 2.7 g. Such a high surface gravity flattens the ground and results in only small elevation changes across the entire surface of the planet. The planet is tidally locked to the sun and orbiting at a distance of 0.09 AU. Surface temperatures average 1,182 F. Most of the surface consists of broad plains covered in shallow sand dunes.

High Resolution Pictures

Insight B-II

Approaching the atmosphere

Storms

Daytime sky

Twilight sky

R136a1 System

A visit to a more familiar system in the Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy. The program depicts a large gas orbiting the star at a distance of 738.59 AU along with several large moons.

R136a1 is believed to be the most massive known star with a mass 315 times that of our sun. The star shines with a luminosity of 8.7 million suns. The gas giant even at its extreme orbital distance of 738.59 AU, still receives more solar radiation than Earth.

High Resolution Images

Bright Blue Sun

Inner Dwarf Planet from a moon

Outer moon.

Approaching eclipse

Double moons

Picture of the Day - January 28, 2019

Gas giant with purple cloud bands hangs in the sky of a large rocky moon.

Picture of the day 2 - January 10, 2019

Warm gas giant surrounded by a rainbow-colored ring system.

Space Engine System ID: RS 8550-1391-7-1315996-265 4 to visit the planet in space engine.