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Astronomy Picture of the Day
NASA ^ | 5/22/08 | Ken Crawford

Posted on 05/22/2008 2:07:26 PM PDT by sig226


Windblown NGC 3199
Credit & Copyright:
Ken Crawford (Rancho Del Sol Observatory), Macedon Ranges Observatory

Explanation: NGC 3199 lies about 12,000 light-years away, a glowing cosmic cloud in the southern constellation of Carina. The nebula is about 75 light-years across in this haunting, false-color view. Though the deep image reveals a more or less complete ring shape, it does look very lopsided with a much brighter edge at the lower right. Near the center of the ring is a Wolf-Rayet star, a massive, hot, short-lived star that generates an intense stellar wind. In fact, Wolf-Rayet stars are known to create nebulae with interesting shapes as their powerful winds sweep up surrounding interstellar material. In this case, the bright edge was thought to indicate a bow shock produced as the star plowed through a uniform medium, like a boat through water. But measurements have shown the star is not really moving directly toward the bright edge. So a more likely explanation is that the material surrounding the star is not uniform, but clumped and denser near the bright edge of windblown NGC 3199.


TOPICS: Astronomy Picture of the Day
KEYWORDS: apod

1 posted on 05/22/2008 2:07:26 PM PDT by sig226
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To: fnord; Number57; KevinDavis; rdb3; MNJohnnie; thoughtomator; RightWhale; proudofthesouth; ...

2 posted on 05/22/2008 2:08:52 PM PDT by sig226 (Real power is not the ability to destroy an enemy. It is the willingness to do it.)
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To: sig226

More blue states, there are scummy democrats everywhere. What a surprise they are illegal aliens. Really, illegal aliens!


3 posted on 05/22/2008 2:16:42 PM PDT by STD ( Brace Yourself; Obama To Expand Black History Month to a Full Year)
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To: sig226
I think I'm gonna start selling Galactic Collision Credits to those weeping liberals who feel they, as humans and Americans, are responsible for the violence and destruction in the universe.
4 posted on 05/22/2008 5:26:42 PM PDT by TexasCajun
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