Kool Image Elk Bath

	Elk Bath
	Explanation: The Elk Bath picture was taken by the Alaskan Type I Incident Management Team on August 6, 2000 on the East Fork of the Bitterroot River on the Sula Complex. The year 2000 fire season in the continental United States was one of the most active on record, burning an area similar in size to New Jersey. This photograph was taken with a digital camera. Credit: John McColgan of the Alaskan Type I Incident Management Team (Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service) More information: The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), located in Boise, Idaho, is the nation’s support center for wildland firefighting. Eight different agencies and organizations are part of NIFC. Decisions are made using the interagency cooperation concept because NIFC has no single director or manager.

Kool Image Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1073

	Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1073
	The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s picture of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1073, which is found in the constellation of Cetus (The Sea Monster). Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is a similar barred spiral, and the study of galaxies such as NGC 1073 helps astronomers learn more about our celestial home. Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble Space Telescope Available as a 20×16 inch poster at Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1073 Visit Hubble to discover more information.

Kool Image Sunspot Loops in Ultraviolet

	Sunspot Loops in Ultraviolet
	Explanation: It was a quiet day on the Sun. The above image shows, however, that even during off days the Sun’s surface is a busy place. Shown in ultraviolet light, the relatively cool dark regions have temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius. Large sunspot group AR 9169 from the last solar cycle is visible as the bright area near the horizon. The bright glowing gas flowing around the sunspots has a temperature of over one million degrees Celsius. The reason for the high temperatures is unknown but thought to be related to the rapidly changing magnetic field loops that channel solar plasma. Large sunspot group AR 9169 moved across the Sun during 2000 September and decayed in a few weeks. Credit: NASA/Trace Project More information: The Transition Region and Coronal Explorer Mission