Posted on 09/10/2026 1:29:17 PM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: What does this image look like to you? Many see a giraffe facing right, with neck stretched high and long legs mid-stride (but some may see a squirrel instead). The featured image shows LDN 1295, also called the Giraffe Nebula, in the constellation of the mythical queen of Aethiopia (Cassiopeia). It is an object in the Lynds Catalogue of Dark Nebulas, compiled in 1962 by American astronomer Beverly Lynds, a pioneer for women in astronomy and astrophysics. Dark nebulas are interstellar clouds of dust and gas that block the visible light of the stars behind them. These nebulas are often faint and challenging targets for astrophotographers. Why do we see animal shapes and faces in nebulas, clouds, and pretty much everywhere? It is due to pareidolia, our tendency to look for familiar patterns. Pareidolia may provide animals with an evolutionary advantage, for example in identifying (and avoiding) predators.
(Excerpt) Read more at apod.nasa.gov ...
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Please note: I will not be able to post the APOD on Saturday, 12 Aug, 2026 due to unavoidable travel
🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔
Please note: I will not be able to post the APOD on Saturday, 12 Aug, 2026 due to unavoidable travel
I will post the Sept 12 APOD on Sunday Sept, 13.
That Giraffe is skinny. It needs to find the Tree Nebula.
Wow.
Nice!
Aliens from that ‘neck’ of the woods will all have long necks...
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