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Astronomy Picture of the Day -- M16: Pillars of Creation
NASA ^
| July 22, 2012
| (see photo credit)
Posted on 07/22/2012 7:18:25 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: It was one of the most famous images of the 1990s. This image, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995, shows evaporating gaseous globules (EGGs) emerging from pillars of molecular hydrogen gas and dust. The giant pillars are light years in length and are so dense that interior gas contracts gravitationally to form stars. At each pillars' end, the intense radiation of bright young stars causes low density material to boil away, leaving stellar nurseries of dense EGGs exposed. The Eagle Nebula, associated with the open star cluster M16, lies about 7000 light years away. The pillars of creation were imaged again in 2007 by the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope in infrared light, leading to the conjecture that the pillars may already have been destroyed by a local supernova, but light from that event has yet to reach the Earth.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; astronomy; eaglenebula; falsecolor; m16; messierobject; pillarsofcreation; science; spitzer; spitzertelescope
1
posted on
07/22/2012 7:18:39 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; married21; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; ...
2
posted on
07/22/2012 7:21:42 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: SunkenCiv
It was my inspiration for this and others.
3
posted on
07/22/2012 7:25:04 AM PDT
by
cripplecreek
(What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
To: SunkenCiv
4
posted on
07/22/2012 7:53:00 AM PDT
by
JoeProBono
(A closed mouth gathers no feet - Mater tua caligas exercitus gerit ;-{)
To: cripplecreek
and this?
5
posted on
07/22/2012 7:57:48 AM PDT
by
Young Werther
(Julius Caesar said "Quae cum ita sunt. Since these things are so.".)
To: Young Werther; cripplecreek; SunkenCiv
and this?That is giving bush the finger.
To: cripplecreek
7
posted on
07/22/2012 8:10:00 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: SunkenCiv
That one started out as a storm cloud.
8
posted on
07/22/2012 8:19:03 AM PDT
by
cripplecreek
(What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
To: SunkenCiv
“Evaporating Gaseous Globules”
Moderators! Moderators! SunkenCiv is posting space bathroom photos again!
Wash his mouth out with soap!
9
posted on
07/22/2012 8:56:15 AM PDT
by
blueunicorn6
("A crack shot and a good dancer")
To: blueunicorn6
They told me it was soap, but that was just a lye. /rimshot!
10
posted on
07/22/2012 9:16:32 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: bigheadfred
That is giving bush the finger.Did you mean "bush giving the finger?" I thought so!
11
posted on
07/22/2012 11:27:04 AM PDT
by
JimRed
(Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed &water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS, NOW & FOREVER!)
To: JimRed
To: SunkenCiv
The pillars of creation were imaged again in 2007 by the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope in infrared light, leading to the conjecture that the pillars may already have been destroyed by a local supernova, but light from that event has yet to reach the Earth. If I read this right, they have seen a supernova nearby, they just haven't yet seen it's influence on the pillars.
Otherwise, I'm stumped by their conjecturing....
13
posted on
07/22/2012 1:20:18 PM PDT
by
hattend
(Firearms and ammunition...the only growing industries under the Obama regime.)
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