Posted on 01/19/2023 1:49:15 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: A broad expanse of glowing gas and dust presents a bird-like visage to astronomers from planet Earth, suggesting its popular moniker - The Seagull Nebula. Using narrowband image data, this 3-panel mosaic of the cosmic bird covers a 2.5 degree swath across the plane of the Milky Way, near the direction of Sirius, alpha star of the constellation Canis Major. Likely part of a larger shell structure swept up by successive supernova explosions, the broad Seagull Nebula is cataloged as Sh2-296 and IC 2177. The prominent bluish arc below and right of center is a bow shock from runaway star FN Canis Majoris. This complex of gas and dust clouds with other stars of the Canis Majoris OB1 association spans over 200 light-years at the Seagull Nebula's estimated 3,800 light-year distance.
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.
God’s art......just beautiful what He created for us to see....
So, that’s where Johnathan Livingston REALLY went!
How many parsecs wide?
It looks like ET on that bicycle.
Looks like my parrot when he’s in a snit. Same coloration. :-)
I don’t know how many parsecs, but that’s 5 full moons wide…
Like
I don’t think that book was just about seagulls.
Parsec is a measure of distance from earth, not angular width.
OK. Thanks for clarifying that measurement. So if one is asking about the width of a nebula would it be measured in Light years or physical distance?
Here is what NASA says:
“Finally, parsecs. This is the unit used when the number of light years between objects climbs into the high thousands or millions. One parsec is 3.26 light years. The origin of this unit of measure is a little more complicated, but it’s related to how astronomers measure widths in the sky. Astronomers use “megaparsecs” — a megaparsec is 1 million parsecs — for intergalactic distances, or the scale of distances between the galaxies.”
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1230/cosmic-distances/
I see a black hawk right of center upper.........................
I didn't know that they could fly that high.
Special CIA/NASA version......................
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