Picture Of The Day - December 29, 2018

Saturn’s equinox in 2009 taken by Cassini spacecraft

Credit: NASA/JPL

O’Srius System - Post 3 (Stunning World)

Here we come across the smaller component of a double planetary system, being the 9 and 10th planets from the star. This planet is by far the most visually stunning world I have come across in the 6 months of playing space engine.

The world is roughly the same size as Earth, but only 0.58 times the mass. The surface is covered in liquid nitrogen oceans and nitrogen ice-caps. The planet has a surface temperature of 68 K or -337 °F. The atmosphere is composed of nitrogen and argon with a surface pressure of 0.095 atmospheres. The surface has a nitrogen cycle, much the same as Earth has a water cycle.

High Resolution Pics

Picture 1 - Crescent

Picture 2 - Gibbous

Picture 3 -

Picture 4 - River Channels

Picture 5 - Varied terrain

Picture 6 - Polar Cap

Picture 7 - Nitrogen Shoreline

Evening of the Cosmos. Widescreen Wallpapers 1440 x 900.

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Pictures of the day - December 5, 2018

I apologize for my lack pictures yesterday.

Insight B System - Fourth Planet - Insight B-V

The fifth planet orbiting Insight B is a terrestrial-like planet roughly one quarter the mass of earth (0.27 Earth Masses) and 80% of Earth’s radius (5,093.84 km). It is predominately rocky world with a significant water content in its mantle, surrounded by a thin Carbon Dioxide atmosphere.

The surface is cold with an average temperature of -159 F, and an atmospheric pressure of 0.11 atmospheres. A single small spherical satellite orbits the planet. One day lasts approximately 23 hours 38 mins. Insight B-V orbits its sun at an average distance of 0.97 AU, completing an orbit once every 1.163 Earth Years. The planet is notable for having a retrograde rotation, orbiting almost on its side with an axial tilt of 104°. Considering the planet orbits between two gas giants, the extreme tilt is to be expected.

High Resolution Pictures

Insight B-V

Small Moon

Closeup

Day-time sky

Sunset

Pictures of the Day - November 10, 2018

Three different desert worlds orbiting a bright red dwarf with surface shots. The star is roughly 10% the brightness of the sun, about as bright as you can get for a red dwarf. A common misconception is that red dwarfs are actually red in color. This is true only for the smaller dim ones, but most have a more orange to red-orange tint to them.

Unfortunately, I already left the system long before I could log the system ID.

High Resolution Pics

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

Picture of the Day - January 28, 2019

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

Pictures of the Day - February 9, 2019

Mars-like desert world.

Picture of the day - December 26, 2018

Insight A System - Ninth Planet (Insight A-IX)

Insight A-IX is the Insight A systems second largest and second most massive planet. It is an ice giant 17.40 times more massive than Earth, and has a radius of 3.28 Earth Radii. The planet is surrounded by a narrow yet well structured ring system, and a system of 6 small ellipsoidal satellites.

The planet orbits it’s sun at an average distance of 7.34 AU, completing 1 orbit every 18.35 Years. A day on the planet lasts just 9 hours and 6 minutes. The planet has a thick hydrogen/ helium atmosphere, and has an average atmospheric temperature of -279 F.

High Resolution Pictures

Insight A-IX

Small moon

Narrow Rings

Ring Closeup

Crescent

Star Cluster Melotte 15 in the Heart Nebula [IC 1805]

Pictures of the day 2 - February 1, 2019 - (very late post)

I decided to try something different this time. I found this large moon orbiting beautiful a blue gas giant and decided to take pictures of the sky overlooking a mountain at different times in the moon's orbit. The only time the moon ever gets dark is during an eclipse, otherwise the reflected light from the gas giant illuminates the surface in a bluish tinted light at night.

Space Engine System ID: RS 0-5-14693-319-17241-6-194958-8 3.1 to visit the moon in Space Engine.