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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Central Lagoon in Infrared
APOD.NASA.gov ^ | 19 Mar, 2021 | Image Credit & License: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Data Archive: MAST, Processing: Alexandra Nachman

Posted on 03/19/2021 3:05:51 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: Stars fill this infrared view, spanning 4 light-years across the center of the Lagoon Nebula. Visible light images show the glowing gas and obscuring dust clouds that dominate the scene. But this infrared image, constructed from Hubble Space Telescope data, peers closer to the heart of the active star-forming region revealing newborn stars scattered within, against a crowded field of background stars toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. This tumultuous stellar nursery's central regions are sculpted and energized by the massive, young Herschel 36, seen as the bright star near center in the field of view. Herschel 36 is actually a multiple system of massive stars. At over 30 times the mass of the Sun and less than 1 million years old, the most massive star in the system should live to a stellar old age of 5 million years. Compare that to the almost 5 billion year old Sun which will evolve into a red giant in only another 5 billion years or so. The Lagoon Nebula, also known as M8, lies about 4,000 light-years away within the boundaries of the constellation Sagittarius.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: nasa
To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 03/19/2021 3:05:51 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 03/19/2021 3:06:08 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; abb; AFB-XYZ; America_Right; Art in Idaho; AZ .44 MAG; ...
Pinging the APOD list.

๐Ÿช ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŒŒ


3 posted on 03/19/2021 3:06:39 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Kamala Harris is doing a voodoo dance in the center. Or is it Pedo Joe falling up the stairs to the plane once again? :-)


4 posted on 03/19/2021 3:09:04 PM PDT by AFB-XYZ (Stand up, or bend over)
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To: MtnClimber

Looks like a horse dancing on a goat.


5 posted on 03/19/2021 3:17:20 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancerโ€)
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To: blueunicorn6

How many horses can you fit on the head of a goat?


6 posted on 03/19/2021 3:27:16 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: AFB-XYZ

I see Kamala with her head thrown back and her back arched in anticipation of ecstasy, her hand guiding Joe’s head, and Joe on his hands and knees headed for her career maker.

Maybe I should get out more?


7 posted on 03/19/2021 3:31:36 PM PDT by null and void (The media decides what news you can see and NOT SEE. But don't you dare call 'em Not-Sees)
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To: null and void

Aiyeeee! You sadist! That visual will never go away. LOL


8 posted on 03/19/2021 4:05:32 PM PDT by AFB-XYZ (Stand up, or bend over)
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To: AFB-XYZ
A sadist? Me?

Nahhh, a real sadist would permanently ruin The Wizard of OZ for you...


9 posted on 03/19/2021 4:24:57 PM PDT by null and void (The media decides what news you can see and NOT SEE. But don't you dare call 'em Not-Sees)
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To: null and void

Masochist: “Hit me!”

Sadist: “No!”


10 posted on 03/19/2021 4:25:35 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: MtnClimber
I think I just made a first ever discovery!!

I zoomed in on the image you posted and found what appears to be SQUARE STARS!! They're probably cubical in 3 dimensions.

You can see them best in the bottom zoom-in below.

And since I discovered them (at least 5!!) they might want to name them all after me!!




11 posted on 03/19/2021 4:37:04 PM PDT by ETL (REAL Russia collusion! DEMOCRAT-Russia collusion!! China-Russia collusion! Click ETL...)
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To: ETL

I think that you should go up and measure them to make sure they are actually squares and not just parallelograms.


12 posted on 03/19/2021 4:56:09 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: null and void

Point well taken. Heh.


13 posted on 03/19/2021 5:07:17 PM PDT by AFB-XYZ (Stand up, or bend over)
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To: ETL

Those are not square stars.

They are Borg cubes at warp.


14 posted on 03/19/2021 5:10:16 PM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit)
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To: MtnClimber; Pontiac

15 posted on 03/19/2021 5:14:01 PM PDT by ETL (REAL Russia collusion! DEMOCRAT-Russia collusion!! China-Russia collusion! Click ETL...)
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To: MtnClimber

Several years ago I got to do an observing session with Al Nagler. Besides getting to talk to him, and, use some of his eyepieces, we got to use his new, white light, low light monocular. Not only was it great to just point at the sky and look at the large gas clouds there (specially after we attached an OIII filter to it), but, he has made it so you can attached it to some of his eyepieces. My friend, who had brought his 22” dob with him, attached the monocular to the scope and we pointed it at M& (the Lagoon). We all took turns at the eyepiece trying to find the edge of the nebula. It was HUGE. Later we pointed it at M16 and could actually see the Pillars of Creation.


16 posted on 03/19/2021 5:25:50 PM PDT by Conan the Librarian
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To: Conan the Librarian

I have no idea what any of that meant, yet it sounded fascinating


17 posted on 03/19/2021 8:51:44 PM PDT by Ladysforest (Racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia and vulgarity - with just a smattering of threats and violence)
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To: blueunicorn6; MinuteGal

“Looks like a horse dancing on a goat.”

You know, I can sorta see that too. Nice catch. You are just saying that because you are a unicorn and want to be on top. Just sayin....


18 posted on 03/19/2021 9:12:12 PM PDT by flaglady47 (Donald J.Trump, President in 2024 - DeSantis for VP)
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To: Ladysforest

(Please ignore this if you just don’t care. I wasn’t sure if you wanted clarity or not...CtL)

No problems! Al Nagler is like the king of telescope optical glass. He makes incredibly good, very heavy eyepieces for telescopes, and, some other optics for the government.

The monocular we were using was a military-grade low light viewer that showed in white light, not green, like the ones you might see in a movie.

The OIII filter (OH 3) is a type of light filter that cuts back on things like city lights, star light and other sources, but, lets light from nebula (like the lagoon) through.

The 22” Newtonian, dob mount is just a standard, telescope with a 22” mirror in it. That’s big for an amateur scope. A dob mount is a simple base for the scope invented by a guy named John Dobson. It makes it so you can have very large scopes on a very simple mounts. Look up Dobsonian telescope mount for more info.

If you want more information, ASK. I love to talk Astronomy.


19 posted on 03/20/2021 6:02:51 AM PDT by Conan the Librarian (Conan the Sailing Librarian)
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To: MtnClimber

Central Lagoon?

Where’s Mary Ann and Ginger?.........................


20 posted on 03/22/2021 5:59:49 AM PDT by Red Badger ("We've always been at war with Climate Change, Winston."..............................)
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