Posted on 09/10/2009 3:51:42 AM PDT by paul in cape
The Butterfly Nebula from Upgraded Hubble
Explanation: The bright clusters and nebulae of planet Earth's night sky are often named for flowers or insects, and NGC 6302 is no exception.
With an estimated surface temperature of about 250,000 degrees C, the central star of this particular planetary nebula is exceptionally hot though -- shining brightly in ultraviolet light but hidden from direct view by a dense torus of dust.
Above is a dramatically detailed close-up of the dying star's nebula recorded by the newly upgraded Hubble Space Telescope. Cutting across a bright cavity of ionized gas, the dust torus surrounding the central star is in the upper right corner of this view, nearly edge-on to the line-of-sight.
Molecular hydrogen has recently been detected in this hot star's dusty cosmic shroud.
NGC 6302 lies about 4,000 light-years away in the arachnologically correct constellation Scorpius.
so does budweiser at 10 minutes to closing time..:)
To be honest, I don’t know if it is a ‘she’. Hope for the best.
Hee hee heee.....
Or you can ping sig226 to be added to the APOD ping list.
Tramp Stamp!
Sig226 has an APOD (astronomy picture of the Day) list.
That is one gorgeous, violent event.
We could be looking at a celestial tramp stamp.
High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.
Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee
No 412 squadron, RCAF
Killed 11 December 1941
Do you have any info on the coloration of the picture? I think I read somewhere that technicians add the color after, based on the chemical makeup. The actual photos don’t show colors, and they don’t appear in color to the naked eye. Am I correct about that?
Thank you!
sig226, could you please add me to your daily astro pic ping list? Thanks much.
Thanks for that, BigCin. Beautiful.
The Germans call it what it becomes translated out as an "a$$ angel"
Better yet, get the desktop widget “APOD Viewer” from Hauberg Software. APOD = Astronomy Photo of the Day. You get them delivered directly to your desktop every day.
Well now we know where the cow that jumped over the moon landed. Look about half way up the butterfly wing on the right. Ain’t that a cows face?
WOW!
Now that the Government only talks in terms of billions and trillions, I understand these numbers much better...
To: potlatch |
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