Exploring the Solar System, on Earth and Beyond

May 17, 2011 2:10 PM

From Earth to the Solar System (FETTSS) is a collection of images curated by NASA that portray an attempt to understand the origin and evolution of the solar system, by looking to the skies and investigating extreme situations on earth, like high-altitude lakes and an acidic river.

FETTS is part of NASA's The Year of the Solar System (YSS), which started in in October 2010 and will continue through August 2012, as NASA's definition for a year is a Martian year in this case. And as with many other NASA public programs, there's a twitter feed linking to events, articles, and other webpages (er, NASA posts on Facebook).

posted by filthy light thief (4 comments total)

What an astounding collection of high-quality images (ASOHQI).
posted by penduluum at 2:37 PM on May 17, 2011

The photo of the lake in the high Andes reminds me of a time maybe 20 years ago when I was on a flight from Iquitos to Lima Peru (start in Amazon, fly over Andes to the coast). It was around 9pm, and the moon was spectacularly full when we started to cross the mountains. For some reason, I guess the plane was at just the right angle to the moon, all the lakes started to reflect up out of the darkness below. And the lakes are green, like unworked jade, just as in that photo. Seeing those green iridescent lakes, rimmed with snow, reflected in moonlight, and then behind that stars, was one of the prettiest things I have ever seen. Ever.

Great post flt.
posted by puny human at 3:49 PM on May 17, 2011

Wow, these are all the desktop backgrounds I'll ever need. Fascinating stuff!
posted by futureisunwritten at 7:06 PM on May 17, 2011

The shot of the Geminid Meteor is very similar to something I saw in Big Bend last fall during the Perseid Meteor Shower. I was facing to the east, looking up at Casa Grande in the darkness. All of a sudden, I heard a crack and a fizzle and saw a bright light. It was a similar fireball out through the Window to the west. The tail that you see in the photo is exactly what I saw - a bright gash in the otherwise perfectly dark sky, as if someone had sliced it open with a knife. The tail lasted for what seemed like forever. I swear it hung in the sky for a minute, but my friend swears that it was ten.

Anyway, I have often thought of that meteor and how much I wish I could have caught it on camera. Thanks for the post! This is a great alternative to having a picture of my own experience!
posted by jph at 6:39 AM on May 18, 2011 [1 favorite]