Posted on 04/03/2012 8:15:12 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: Many stars form in clusters. Galactic or open star clusters are relatively young swarms of bright stars born together near the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy. Separated by about a degree on the sky, two nice examples are M46 (upper left) 5,400 light-years in the distance and M47 (lower right) only 1,600 light-years away toward the nautical constellation Puppis. Around 300 million years young M46 contains a few hundred stars in a region about 30 light-years across. Aged 80 million years, M47 is a smaller but looser cluster of about 50 stars spanning 10 light-years. But this portrait of stellar youth also contains an ancient interloper. The small, colorful patch of glowing gas in M46 is actually the planetary nebula NGC 2438 -- the final phase in the life of a sun-like star billions of years old. NGC 2438 is estimated to be only 3,000 light-years distant and likely represents a foreground object, only by chance appearing along our line of sight to youthful M46.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit & Copyright: Sergio Eguivar (Buenos Aires Skies]
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Wow. Just awesomely beautiful
AWESOME PIC!
Execrable pun!
LOL!
You have to look REAL close for that Planetary. Pretty Pretty sight!
One of my favorites!
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