Posted on 09/07/2010 2:41:00 PM PDT by TaraP
The Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys has captured a remarkable image of a spiral in space. No, not a spiral galaxy, (and not another Norway Spiral!) but the formation of an unusual pre-planetary nebula in one of the most perfect geometrical spirals ever seen. The nebula, called IRAS 23166+1655, is forming around the star LL Pegasi (also known as AFGL 3068) in the constellation of Pegasus.
The image shows what appears to be a thin spiral pattern of amazing precision winding around the star, which is itself hidden behind thick dust. Mark Morris from UCLA and an international team of astronomers say that material forming the spiral is moving outwards at a speed of about 50,000 km/hour and by combining this speed with the distance between layers, they calculate that the shells are each separated by about 800 years. The spiral pattern suggests a regular periodic origin for the nebula’s shape, and astronomers believe that shape is forming because LL Pegasi is a binary star system.
One star is losing material as it and the companion star are orbiting each other. The spacing between layers in the spiral is expected to directly reflect the orbital period of the binary, which is estimated to be also about 800 years. A progression of quasi-concentric shells has been observed around a number of preplanetary nebulae, but this almost perfect spiral shape is unique. Morris and his team say that the structure of the AFGL 3068 envelope raises the possibility that binary companions are responsible for quasi-concentric shells in most or all of the systems in which they have been observed, and the lack of symmetry in the shells seen elsewhere can perhaps be attributed to orbital eccentricity, to different projections of the orbital planes, and to unfavorable illumination geometries. Additionally – and remarkably — this object may be illuminated by galactic light. This image appears like something from the famous "Starry Night" painting by Vincent van Gogh, and reveals what can occur with stars that have masses about half that of the Sun up to about eight times that of the Sun. They do not explode as supernovae at the ends of their lives, but instead can create these striking and intricate features as their outer layers of gas are shed and drift into space. This object is just starting this process and the central star has yet to emerge from the cocoon of enveloping dust.
Another "sign" may be those galaxies where star formation has ceased. They are all "kinda" connected to adjacent galaxies without star formation.
A sufficiently advanced civilization would undoubtedly take whatever actions were necessary to STOP new star formation ~ that energy being useful elsewhere.
Well I see the DNA of Jesus Christ as 100% is transfiguratation..We have 3 % of useful DNA
Saaaayyyyy! That was my 90,000th post!
“You’ve posted a total of 600 threads and 90,002 replies.”
Well here’s something to celebrate your 90,000th post with.
One of the single funniest videos of all time. Tim Conway goes off script and destroys a scene on the Carol Burnette show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qqE_WmagjY
lol, I’m not even close to that.
Mohammed was very familiar with the Torah, and the Christian Bible. Not surprising that he would co-opt both to create his own religion.
REAL Prophets climb mountains to be closer to God.
Mohammed crawled into a hole to listen to the hissings of The Serpent.
What Mo dint know The Serpent did.
Odds are Hussein will be on vacation when it happens.
God usually doesn’t make many “useless” thing. Maybe scientists just don’t have the correct understanding of how everything in our DNA contributes to our development.
gnip
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