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Over here I post a ton of physics / math / general interesting science related posts. I try to be as informative as possible, all while posting fascinating things that hopefully enlighten us both a little to the mysteries of our truly wondrous universe(s?). Plus, how would you know if the blog exists or not unless you observe it? Boom, just pulled the Schrödinger’s cat card. Now you have to check it out - trust me, it said so in an equation somewhere.

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Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor

 

The Eagle Nebula

Catalogued as Messier 16 (M16) and NGC 6611, the Eagle Nebula is a young, open cluster of stars located in the constellation Serpens. The nebula was discovered by Jean-Phillippe de Cheseaux in 1745-1746. The name “Eagle” is derived from its shape, apparently resembling the upper body of an Eagle. 

The Eagle Nebula is the subject of the Hubble Space Telescope’s famous “Pillars of Creation” photograph, shown in the collection above. This region of active current star formation is about 6,500 light-years from Earth. The tower of gas that can be seen coming off the nebula is approximately 9.5 light-years or about 90 trillion kilometers high. The brightest star in the nebula has an apparent magnitude of +8.24, easily visible with good binoculars.

The longest of the ‘Pillars’ is seven light years long, and because of their massive density interior gasses contract gravitationally to form stars. At each ‘pillars’ end, the intense radiation of bright young stars causes low density material to boil away, leaving stellar nurseries of dense EGGs exposed. Due to the huge distance between us, the Pillars of Creation may already be gone, and instead a stellar star nursery could have taken its place. In early 2007, scientists using the Spitzer discovered evidence that potentially indicates that the Pillars were destroyed by a nearby supernova explosion about 6,000 years ago, but the light showing the new shape of the nebula will not reach Earth for another millennium.

The Carina Nebula: Star Birth in the Extreme Also known as the Great Nebula in Carina, or NGC 3372, the Carina Nebula is a large, bright nebula that surounds several open clusters of stars - such as Eta Carinae and HD 93129A, two of the most massive and luminous stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Carina is  between 6,500 and 10,000 light years from Earth. It appears in the constellation of Carina, and is located in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm.  The Carina Nebula was discovered in 1751-1752 by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1751–52 from the Cape of Good Hope. The nebula is one of the largest diffuse nebulae in our skies. Although it is some four times as large and even brighter than the famous Orion Nebula, the Carina Nebula is much less well known, due to its location far in the Southern Hemisphere. 

The Carina Nebula: Star Birth in the Extreme

Also known as the Great Nebula in Carina, or NGC 3372, the Carina Nebula is a large, bright nebula that surounds several open clusters of stars - such as Eta Carinae and HD 93129A, two of the most massive and luminous stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Carina is  between 6,500 and 10,000 light years from Earth. It appears in the constellation of Carina, and is located in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm. 

The Carina Nebula was discovered in 1751-1752 by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1751–52 from the Cape of Good Hope. The nebula is one of the largest diffuse nebulae in our skies. Although it is some four times as large and even brighter than the famous Orion Nebula, the Carina Nebula is much less well known, due to its location far in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Earth Will One Day See a Second Sun Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star located in the Orion constellation, about 640 light-years away from Earth - is preparing to explode via a supernova. When it does, the Earth will have a front-row seat; in fact, the explosion will be so bright that Earth will seem to briefly have two suns in the sky.  Betelgeuse is one of the brightest and largest stars in our immediate galactic neighborhood - if you dropped it in our Solar System, it would extend all the way out to Jupiter, leaving Earth completely engulfed. In stellar terms, it’s predicted to explode in the very near future. Of course, the conversion from stellar to human terms is pretty extreme, as Betelgeuse is predicted to explode anytime in the next million years. But still, whether the explosion occurs in 2011 or 1002011 (give or take 640 years for the light to reach Earth), it’s going to make for one of the most unforgettable light shows in our planet’s history. For a few weeks, the supernova will be so bright that there will appear to be two stars in the sky, and night will be indistinguishable from day for much of that time. So don’t count on getting a lot of sleep when Betelgeuse explodes, because the only sensible thing for the world to do will be to throw a weeks-long global supernova party. Physicist Brad Carter explains what Earth (and hopefully humanity) can look forward to: “This is the final hurrah for the star. It goes bang, it explodes, it lights up - we’ll have incredible brightness for a brief period of time for a couple of weeks and then over the coming months it begins to fade and then eventually it will be very hard to see at all.” Although there’ll be no missing the explosion, Carter points out that the vast majority of material shot out from the supernova will pass by Earth completely unnoticed: “When a star goes bang, the first we will observe of it is a rain of tiny particles called neutrinos. They will flood through the Earth and bizarrely enough, even though the supernova we see visually will light up the night sky, 99 per cent of the energy in the supernova is released in these particles that will come through our bodies and through the Earth with absolutely no harm whatsoever.” In any event, the Betelgeuse explosion will likely be the most dramatic supernova Earth ever witnesses - well, unless our Sun eventually explodes and destroys our planet, which would probably leave Betelgeuse the runner-up.

Earth Will One Day See a Second Sun

Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star located in the Orion constellation, about 640 light-years away from Earth - is preparing to explode via a supernova. When it does, the Earth will have a front-row seat; in fact, the explosion will be so bright that Earth will seem to briefly have two suns in the sky. 

Betelgeuse is one of the brightest and largest stars in our immediate galactic neighborhood - if you dropped it in our Solar System, it would extend all the way out to Jupiter, leaving Earth completely engulfed. In stellar terms, it’s predicted to explode in the very near future. Of course, the conversion from stellar to human terms is pretty extreme, as Betelgeuse is predicted to explode anytime in the next million years.

But still, whether the explosion occurs in 2011 or 1002011 (give or take 640 years for the light to reach Earth), it’s going to make for one of the most unforgettable light shows in our planet’s history. For a few weeks, the supernova will be so bright that there will appear to be two stars in the sky, and night will be indistinguishable from day for much of that time. So don’t count on getting a lot of sleep when Betelgeuse explodes, because the only sensible thing for the world to do will be to throw a weeks-long global supernova party.

Physicist Brad Carter explains what Earth (and hopefully humanity) can look forward to:

“This is the final hurrah for the star. It goes bang, it explodes, it lights up - we’ll have incredible brightness for a brief period of time for a couple of weeks and then over the coming months it begins to fade and then eventually it will be very hard to see at all.”

Although there’ll be no missing the explosion, Carter points out that the vast majority of material shot out from the supernova will pass by Earth completely unnoticed:

“When a star goes bang, the first we will observe of it is a rain of tiny particles called neutrinos. They will flood through the Earth and bizarrely enough, even though the supernova we see visually will light up the night sky, 99 per cent of the energy in the supernova is released in these particles that will come through our bodies and through the Earth with absolutely no harm whatsoever.”

In any event, the Betelgeuse explosion will likely be the most dramatic supernova Earth ever witnesses - well, unless our Sun eventually explodes and destroys our planet, which would probably leave Betelgeuse the runner-up.

Sun ‘Tornado’ This enormous tornado erupting from the surface of the sun is big enough to swallow the Earth. In fact, it could swallow five Earths.

Sun ‘Tornado’

This enormous tornado erupting from the surface of the sun is big enough to swallow the Earth. In fact, it could swallow five Earths.

10 Billion Earth-Like Planets May Exist in Our Galaxy About 40 percent of red dwarf stars may have Earth-sized planets orbiting them that have the right conditions for life. Red dwarfs – which are smaller and cooler than our sun – are extremely common, making up 80 percent of stars in the galaxy. Their ubiquity suggests that there are tens of billions of possible places to look for life beyond Earth, with at least 100 such planets located nearby. The new estimate comes from a team of astronomers using the European Southern Observatory’sHARPS planet-hunting telescope to look at a sample of 102 nearby red dwarfs over a six-year period. The telescope checked for a characteristic wobble from the star, indicating that at least one planet was tugging on it while orbiting around. The search found nine planets with between one and 10 Earth masses, including two in the habitable zone, possibly giving them the right temperature to have liquid water. Because red dwarfs don’t produce as much heat as our sun, their habitable zones occur much closer to the star. Larger planets, about the size of Jupiter, were found around less than 12 percent of red dwarfs, suggesting they are rarer than small rocky worlds. Until recently, astronomers could only guess at the number of stars with planets around them. Now, with the more than 700 confirmed exoplanets, researchers finally have enough data to begin homing in on the true number. A previous team suggested that one quarter of sun-like stars have an Earth-sized planet around them, while another group estimated that one planet exists for each of the hundred billion stars in our galaxy. Astronomers hope to someday build a telescope capable of directly imaging the light from an extrasolar planet and see if they contain the telltale chemicals of life, such as oxygen or methane.

10 Billion Earth-Like Planets May Exist in Our Galaxy

About 40 percent of red dwarf stars may have Earth-sized planets orbiting them that have the right conditions for life.

Red dwarfs – which are smaller and cooler than our sun – are extremely common, making up 80 percent of stars in the galaxy. Their ubiquity suggests that there are tens of billions of possible places to look for life beyond Earth, with at least 100 such planets located nearby.

The new estimate comes from a team of astronomers using the European Southern Observatory’sHARPS planet-hunting telescope to look at a sample of 102 nearby red dwarfs over a six-year period. The telescope checked for a characteristic wobble from the star, indicating that at least one planet was tugging on it while orbiting around.

The search found nine planets with between one and 10 Earth masses, including two in the habitable zone, possibly giving them the right temperature to have liquid water. Because red dwarfs don’t produce as much heat as our sun, their habitable zones occur much closer to the star.

Larger planets, about the size of Jupiter, were found around less than 12 percent of red dwarfs, suggesting they are rarer than small rocky worlds.

Until recently, astronomers could only guess at the number of stars with planets around them. Now, with the more than 700 confirmed exoplanets, researchers finally have enough data to begin homing in on the true number.

A previous team suggested that one quarter of sun-like stars have an Earth-sized planet around them, while another group estimated that one planet exists for each of the hundred billion stars in our galaxy.

Astronomers hope to someday build a telescope capable of directly imaging the light from an extrasolar planet and see if they contain the telltale chemicals of life, such as oxygen or methane.

(Source: Wired)

M27, The Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula M27 has the distinction of being the first planetary nebula ever discovered. Messier’s description of it as an “oval nebula without stars” was followed by John Herschel’s comparison to a dumbbell which later became its popular name. The brightest part of the nebula is about 6 arc minutes (2.4 light years) wide but a faint outer shell exists extending to 15 arc minutes. The nebula is apparently expanding at a rate of 6.8 arc seconds per century. This value leads to a calculated age of 3000 to 4000 years. The central star is a white dwarf with a temperature of 85,000 degrees K. High energy radiation from the dead star is absorbed by the gases of the nebula and reemitted predominantly (about 90%) in green light at 500.7 nm due to ionized oxygen. Other less abundant elements also present in the expanding shell include hydrogen, helium, nitrogen and neon. Studies of M27 reveal a complex triple shell structure uncommon among planetary nebulae. The outermost shell has a very low surface brightness and a complex structure. It is recorded well only through narrowband filters and probably represents gases expelled during earlier mass ejection periods of the dying star. The elliptical shape of M27 is due to viewing the nebula at its equatorial plane as most planetary nebulae have a cylindrical bilobed shape.

M27, The Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula

M27 has the distinction of being the first planetary nebula ever discovered. Messier’s description of it as an “oval nebula without stars” was followed by John Herschel’s comparison to a dumbbell which later became its popular name. The brightest part of the nebula is about 6 arc minutes (2.4 light years) wide but a faint outer shell exists extending to 15 arc minutes. The nebula is apparently expanding at a rate of 6.8 arc seconds per century. This value leads to a calculated age of 3000 to 4000 years. The central star is a white dwarf with a temperature of 85,000 degrees K. High energy radiation from the dead star is absorbed by the gases of the nebula and reemitted predominantly (about 90%) in green light at 500.7 nm due to ionized oxygen. Other less abundant elements also present in the expanding shell include hydrogen, helium, nitrogen and neon.

Studies of M27 reveal a complex triple shell structure uncommon among planetary nebulae. The outermost shell has a very low surface brightness and a complex structure. It is recorded well only through narrowband filters and probably represents gases expelled during earlier mass ejection periods of the dying star. The elliptical shape of M27 is due to viewing the nebula at its equatorial plane as most planetary nebulae have a cylindrical bilobed shape.

A few Major Telescopes

From left to right: 

  • James Webb Space Telescope (2018 launch)  
  • Hubble Space Telescope
  • Kepler Space Telescope
  • XMM Newton
  • NASA Spitzer Space Telescope
The Tarantula Nebula Also known as 30 Doradus or NGC 2070, the Tarantula Nebula is a gorgeous region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Although originally thought to be a star, Nicolas Louis de Lacaille proved it to be a nebula in 1751. This brand new picture was recently taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.  For a non-stellar object, the Tarantula Nebula is extremely luminous - fairly easily seen with an apparent magnitude of 8. In fact, “Its luminosity is so great that if it were as close to Earth as the Orion Nebula, the Tarantula Nebula would cast shadows.” It is located nearly 160,000 light years away - and is the most active starburst region known in the Local Group of galaxies.  The core of the Tarantula Nebula contains the compact star cluster R136, which produces most of the energy that renders the nebula so easily visible. ]The estimated mass of the cluster is 450,000 solar masses, suggesting it will likely become a globular cluster in the future.

The Tarantula Nebula

Also known as 30 Doradus or NGC 2070, the Tarantula Nebula is a gorgeous region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Although originally thought to be a star, Nicolas Louis de Lacaille proved it to be a nebula in 1751. This brand new picture was recently taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. 

For a non-stellar object, the Tarantula Nebula is extremely luminous - fairly easily seen with an apparent magnitude of 8. In fact, “Its luminosity is so great that if it were as close to Earth as the Orion Nebula, the Tarantula Nebula would cast shadows.” It is located nearly 160,000 light years away - and is the most active starburst region known in the Local Group of galaxies. 

The core of the Tarantula Nebula contains the compact star cluster R136, which produces most of the energy that renders the nebula so easily visible. ]The estimated mass of the cluster is 450,000 solar masses, suggesting it will likely become a globular cluster in the future.

Sexy Nebulae