Posted on 06/21/2012 2:46:07 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: Made with narrow and broad band filters, this colorful cosmic snap shot covers a field of view about the size of the full Moon within the boundaries of the constellation Cygnus. It highlights the bright edge of a ring-like nebula traced by the glow of ionized hydrogen and oxygen gas. Embedded in the region's interstellar clouds of gas and dust, the complex, glowing arcs are sections of bubbles or shells of material swept up by the wind from Wolf-Rayet star WR 134, brightest star near the center of the frame. Distance estimates put WR 134 about 6,000 light-years away, making the frame over 50 light-years across. Shedding their outer envelopes in powerful stellar winds, massive Wolf-Rayet stars have burned through their nuclear fuel at a prodigious rate and end this final phase of massive star evolution in a spectacular supernova explosion. The stellar winds and final supernovae enrich the interstellar material with heavy elements to be incorporated in future generations of stars.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit & Copyright: Don Goldman]
June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 193 days remaining until the end of the year. On non-leap years (until 2039), this day marks the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, and is the day of the year with the most hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere and the least hours of daylight in the southern hemisphere.
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For anyone unfamiliar with what a light-year actually is, it's the DISTANCE light travels in a year at it's more-or-less non-wavering speed of 186 thousand miles per second. It works out to be just under 6 TRILLION miles. That's six thousand times a billion. And so it took the light from WR-134 (6,000 x 6 trillion miles away) 6,000 years to reach us. We are 'seeing' it as it was 6,000 years ago.
Thanks again for posting these incredibly interesting scientific threads, SC! The Left has so damaged the credibility of science, that lots of people on the Right don't trust anything 'scientific' anymore.
Well put! Thanks ETL!
Hi Moose!
Hello TOL, Where have you been hiding then? :)
Right here in plain sight, sweet man!
Nice to see you.
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