DARK CLOUDS

One of my favorite sites on the web, a new picture posted each day.  Might be a nebula, a galaxy, or  something closer to Earth.  The beauty of this picture is beyond words to describe, they have to be seen.  As I have said before, our greatest artists, through out our history create wonderous works of art, that some, thousands of years later still inspire and awe us.  And then we have Nature, who is her spare time or as a by product of her workings, creates art that we are do not even have the words to describe. 

"The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." 

Psalm 19:1

ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY

Dark Clouds of the Carina Nebula
Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (Univ. of Calif. -Berkeley), and the Hubble Space Heritage team

Explanation: What dark forms lurk in the mists of the Carina Nebula? These ominous figures are actually molecular clouds,  knots of molecular gas and dust, so thick they have become  opaque.   In comparison, however, these clouds are typically much less dense than Earth's atmosphere.  Pictured above  is part of the most detailed image of the Carina Nebula ever taken, a part where dark molecular clouds  are particularly prominent. The entire Carina Nebula spans over 300 Light Years, and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the constellation of Carina. NGC 3372, known as the Great Nebula in Carina, is home to massive stars and changing nebula.  Eta Carinae,  the most energetic star in the nebula, was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then faded dramaticaly.   

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If you would like to add  Astronomy Picture Of The Day, a new picture each and every day, and a wonderful archive to search through, to your favorites and share in the beauty, the APOD home page  address follows:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/

 

THE GHOST HEAD

Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula
Credit: Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri (Observatoire de Paris) et al., ESA, NASA

Explanation: Halloween's origin is ancient and astronomical. Since the fifth century BC, Halloween has been celebrated as a cross-quarter day, a day halfway between an equinox (equal day / equal night) and a solstice (minimum day / maximum night in the northern hemisphere). With our modern calendar, however, the real cross-quarter day will occur next week. Another cross-quarter day is Groundhog's Day. Halloween's modern celebration retains historic roots in dressing to scare away the spirits of the dead. Perhaps a fitting modern tribute to this ancient holiday is the above-pictured Ghost Head Nebula taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. Appearing similar to the icon of a fictional ghost, NGC 2080 is actually a star forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way Galaxy. The Ghost Head Nebula spans about 50 light-years and is shown in representative colors.

 

As I leaned back in my chair, it was easier to see the image in the picture, but what is stange is, at the 6 o'clock position I can see a figure in a hooded cape, and at the four o'clock position, I can see an insect looking form.  Can anyone else see those, or perhaps something else?  Oh well, it is Halloween.