We as humans are inclined to believe things only when we have proof of them. Photos or videos help us a lot in believing some of the things scientists tell us. When we have photographic proof we believe it better and it even helps us understand it better.
Over the years as science has improved we have gotten photographic proof of some of the things we have only heard about. Some images we got changed the way we saw the world, while some gave us more details about it. All this helps us understand our world and the universe around us better.
So today let us take a look at 14 images that changed the way we look at our planet and the universe.
Even though this is now just a meme there are still many people who believe the earth, our planet is in fact flat and not round. I know this has been proven wrong many times before and this image is one of the reasons why. Taken on top of Mount Everest by a reddit user with the simple caption “Checkmate flat Earth society”, this image shows the beautiful round earth in all its glory.
Image Source: cdn-tn.fishki.net
Its scientific name is NGC 7635 and is a H II region (It is a region of automatic hydrogen that has been ionized) emission nebula found in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is 7,100 light-years away from Earth. The nebula was discovered by William Herschel in 1787. We first saw the nebula when pictures of it were taken in 2016 by the Hubble Space telescope.
Image Source: paraloscuriosos.com
Due to the never ending research and hard work scientists put in, we learned about earth’s atmosphere and all its layers. The one thing science could not do was let us see these layers with our naked eyes. From where we stand on the ground all we see is the sky above us. This image taken from space showed us how what earth’s atmosphere looks like and how beautiful it is.
Image Source: wordpress.com
The first component of the International Space Station was launched into orbit from earth in 1998. It is currently around 400 km above the earth’s surface and orbiting at 27,000 km/h. The ISS is known to be the largest human-made body which is in low Earth orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth.
Image Source: pinimg.com
Curiosity whose official name is Mars Science Laboratory has been researching the surface of Mars since 2012. This image shows the NASA Mars rover working hard on the Red Planet at a site called Vera Rubin Ridge.
Image Source: spokesman.com
On the 6th of March 2018, SpaceX’s 50th Falcon 9 rocket launched a bit after midnight on a Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with Hispasat 30W-6 satellite. The satellite accompanying the rocket was the biggest one that Elon Musk’s company had ever launched into orbit.
Image Source: qz.com
Located on the Matuna island which is a part of the Kuril island, The Sarychev Peak has erupted 11 times in the past 250 years. This eruption image was taken from space by the International Space Station in 2009. This eruption was so powerful that it caused the shore to extend by half a kilometre.
Image Source: wikimedia.org
In May of 2016, the red planet Mars was the closest it ever was to earth. Around 50 million miles or 80 kilometres the red planet could be seen via the Hubble Telescope. This image shows us the red planet from a new perspective.
Image Source: medium.com
We all have seen pictures of Jupiter in our science books since kindergarten but the latest picture is stunning. Taken in May 2018 the picture shows a giant red spot that scientists believe to be a non-stop storm. Scientists believe that this picture shows Jupiter in its natural colour and will help them study it better.
Image Source: knowridge.com
This remnant of a supernova is approximately 1,470 light-years away from us. It is so huge that despite being so far away from us it is still 5 times bigger than our moon. It is so big that scientist had to divide it into sections and name it.
Image Source: static.vix.com
Often called “Eye of God”, this beautiful but strange object that is visible in our universe is approximately 650 light-years away from the Sun. this happens when a star, quite similar to our sun finishes its life cycle and turns into a dwarf star. Scientists estimate that in 6 billion years our sun might be another “Eye of God”.
Image Source: steemitimages.com
On Monday of July 21th, 1969 the immortal words of astronaut Neil Armstrong were heard, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Following that he took his first step on the moon. This was the image he took, our first look at the moon’s surface from the moon’s surface.
Image Source: www.divianarts.com
The centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way is 27,700 light years away from us and is the most active part of our galaxy. The formation or creation of the bulge formation still remains a mystery. The bulge is an important galactic component, containing about 10 to 20% of the mass in our galaxy.
Found in the constellation of Taurus in the Crab Nebula. It is believed to be the remains of a massive supernova that Chinese astronomers found in 1054. The neutron star found at its centre is believed to have been formed as a result of the explosion.
Image Source: www.emporia.edu