Breathtaking Hubble pic: Eagle Nebula (slip the surly bonds of earth & touch the face of God)

NASA photo via Yahoo ^ | 4/26/05

[Wolfstar]

A new view of the Eagle Nebula, one of the two largest and sharpest images Hubble Space Telescope has ever taken, is released by NASA for Hubble's 15th anniversary April 25, 2005. The new Eagle Nebula image reveals a tall, dense tower of gas being sculpted by ultraviolet light from a group of massive, hot stars. During the 15 years Hubble has orbited the Earth, it has taken more than 700,000 photos of the cosmos.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I went to an Okie-Tex star party which featured the Whirlpool on its literature and buttons and it rained all but one night....and campers were getting washed away...

What did they expect for calling something a Whirlpool?

but that one night of viewing at Ft. Davis, TX was breathtaking...

Just found my button from it today....which made me remember the running joke then.

[Wolfstar]

Is there any info regarding the distances covered in the photograph?

No, not in the Yahoo captions accompanying the photos. Perhaps the NASA or Hubble websites might have more info.

[queenkathy]

I don't get it. What does it mean "home to the old stars". This is so far beyond my comprehension and so utterly amazing it makes my head swim!!

[Wolfstar]

...are they "colored" by NASE artists like previous pictures or are these the actual photo's?

I have no way to answer any of the more technical questions. I just spotted these gorgeous photos on Yahoo and thought it would be worthwhile posting them.

[Allan]

ping

[Wolfstar]

There is something quite joyous in that photo of all the galaxies.

[Lancey Howard]

Great thread!

[Wolfstar]

And they aren't willing to try to save Hubble from its near term destiny???

Don't have any way of knowing this for sure, but I believe the near collapse of the space shuttle program is the reason.

[ElisabethInCincy]

More like make me tremble in awe at our Wonderful God

[Wolfstar]

Are there any Hubble pictures of the moon?

I don't know for certain, but believe so. You might consider checking the NASA and/or Hubble websites.

[Wolfstar]

You're welcome. Very, very cool, isn't it.

[cripplecreek]

"There is something quite joyous in that photo of all the galaxies."


Especially when you consider the fact that the "deep field" photo was taken of the deepest, darkest, emptiest area of space they can find.

[Wolfstar]

What does it mean "home to the old stars".

If you reduce it down to an analogy closer to home, it might be more clear. There are some 6 billion people on this planet. We range in age from newborn (just moments ago) to over 100 simply because we're born and die at different times.

Similarly, stars are born and die at different times. In all galaxies, some stars are newly formed, some (like our sun) are middle aged, and some are ancient. What that caption is saying is that the older stars in that particular area of space are clustered in the smaller, yellowish place to the right of the photo.

[BikerNYC]

I don't get it. What does it mean "home to the old stars". This is so far beyond my comprehension and so utterly amazing it makes my head swim!!

Smaller stars live longer and burn cooler, in reds, yellows, and oranges. Big stars, the whites and blues, burn fast and don't get to be too old. They are the ones that tend to go supernova.

[Wolfstar]

Great thread!

Glad you're enjoying it. Politics 24x7 gets way too boring after awhile. It's good to be reminded of that once in awhile.

[Wolfstar]

Especially when you consider the fact that the "deep field" photo was taken of the deepest, darkest, emptiest area of space they can find.

I have an insatiable curiosity about the universe and only wish I could live in a time when space travel is routine for humanity.

[BenLurkin]

False color images? Probably.

[LibWhacker]

See those dark streaks in the spiral arms? That's gas and dust out of which new stars are formed. But there's no gas and dust in the galaxy's central core. It was all blasted out long ago by intense stellar winds. Therefore, the stars in the central core tend to be older than stars in the arms.

[swamp40]

Sure looks like a face to me.

Here's a much better view, with a link to a larger version:

It's just inverted 180 degrees and cropped - no other manipulation.

[Lekker 1]

Kewl!!!!! Thanks for that. A lot closer to a face than that damned grilled cheese sandwich.