Dec 99 - Jan 00

COLOR ARTWORK

"Our Galaxy"   By Don Dixon

Based on radio maps of hydrogen clouds, this painting accurately depicts the structure of our Milky Way Galaxy as it might appear from a viewpoint 1,000 light years south of the galactic equator. The bright red star in the dark region slightly above and right of center is Betelgeuse. Our own sun is invisible at this distance. The painting was featured in the October, 1998 issue of Scientific American.

"Magnetic Accretion"   By Mark Garlick

This is an impression of a binary star system known as a polar or an AM Herculis star. It consists of a red dwarf which is losing material to a compact white dwarf which has a very strong magnetic field. The field is so strong that the material, on its way to the white dwarf, becomes caught up in the field and flows towards the compact star's poles. The situation is rather similar to what happens in an aurora, but on a much larger and much more energetic scale.

"Passing the Bar"   By Jon Ramer

A pair of planets are drifting through intergalactic space after having been ejected from their home galaxy.

Copyright © 1999-2000
International Association of Astronomical Artists