Lost in Space - April 16th 2014

[caption id="attachment_2725" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Galaxy M106[/caption]

(Galaxy M106)

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Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe, and welcome to this week’s edition of ‘Lost in Space’. As with every week, I have already picked out the images for your viewing pleasure. Boy, do I have a great batch of stellar eye-candy for you to view. Just like every other week, I have also done a bit of research for each image I present. Having said, I simply must tell you, My Dear Readers, that the universe around us is a wondrous place filled with amazing sights and incredible science.

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I do hope that I never loose a sense of wonder and that neither do you, My Dear Readers, too. If you ever feel that a day or a week, or a single horrible event has just sucked all the joy from life? Find a very dark place, far from all the lights of the city and industry. Find a clean dry place to lie on your back, and wait for the sun to set. Once set, you will be overwhelmed by the beauty and wonder held in the stars.

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My Dear Readers, I was raised in Southeast Texas; first Houston then a small’ish town named Pearland. I was quite fortunate that, if I rode my bike for about an hour, I could find myself far removed from all sources of background light. It was on just such an adventure that, for the first time, I saw the Milky Way galaxy on edge. We live on one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy, However, ever so often you can catch a glimpse of our own galaxy from the inside out. Countless stars… literally so many stars that it is impossible to count.

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It was while I was living in Colorado Springs, that for the very first time in my life I was witness to fields of stars. There were the brightest stars, in the foreground of the sky. Then, not as bright but far more in number, I could see the next field of stars. They spread from horizon to horizon all around me and in many colors they sparkled and gleamed. Then, behind the other two fields of stars, I saw a third field of stars. It was then that I realized that I was privy to a sight… a precious and wondrous sight. I bore witness to a band of stars that make up our home galaxy, The Milky Way.

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Only in places, like up high on Pike’s Peak I saw field after field of stars. I saw… bore witness to stars of all colors, all sizes and all shapes. I did this all with my naked eyes, and I never wanted the sun to rise again. My Dear Readers, once you see our universe and all the stars that make up a clear, and background light pollution free, sky you understand. Understand the wonder that drove mankind to venture; first off of the European continent and later off of our home planet, Earth. I fell in-love with all things ‘space’.

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My Dear Readers, it has been more than thirty-five years since I have seen stars in fields behind fields, behind fields. Many nights I fall asleep with fear in my heart (one, that I won’t wake up the next day) that I will never see stars like that, again. It may well seem a poor substitute, the images I share here in ‘Lost in Space’ and ‘The Mars Report’. It may well, be just that, but… it ‘keeps the deep longing at bay’. I pray that some day I will be able to look up at a night sky and see stars two or three fields deep. I hope, when/if that day comes that I have a very good camera with me, so that I might capture some of that wonder and share it with you, My Dear Readers. Now, without further adieu, I bring you this week’s ‘Lost in Space’!

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The very first image I have to present to you, today, is of DEM L 190.[1] AKA N 49 this remnant from a massive star is a close neighbor to our own Milky Way. The fibers of star-remnant came to life in the barely imaginable explosion or this dying star, in a supernova. Amazing that such a horrific and massive (barely comprehendible by humans) can result in an image that captures beauty and wonder. Blues, reds, yellows and white strands all intertwined, threaded, in a shape that might well be imagined as a serving of ‘Galactic Cotton Candy’ void of a wrapper to serve. As if made my the hand of God himself, just for a reminder that in a world gripped in; poverty, strife, political unrest and hunger there can still be beauty. If we look long enough, hard enough, and past the borders of our own solar system.

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[caption id="attachment_2724" align="aligncenter" width="630"] DEM L 190[/caption]

(DEM L 190)

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Known as ‘M 51’ or ‘Messier 51’[2] for its discoverer this whirlpool galaxy, and its companion (M51B), are one of the most known and popular galaxies among professional astronomers and amateur astronomers alike. This image, captured by the Hubble Space telescope, are (likely) wallpaper to millions of computer desktops around the world. If you look closely, at this image, you can see the spiral arm, at the top of the image, is being pulled into the companion galaxy. The spiral arm of M51, being too far from the center of the home galaxy, drawn in by the greater gravitational force coming from the companion galaxy.

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[caption id="attachment_2729" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and Companion Galaxy[/caption]

(Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and Companion Galaxy)

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I might have mentioned this, in one of the earlier editions of ‘Lost in Space’ but all the images I share are from the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble is the single greatest human achievement, in the field of telescopic sight. In, just, the twenty-four years since its launch into orbit the Hubble has given mankind more and better images of deep space than in the previous thousand. I think mankind should endeavor to put space telescopes; on the Moon, Mars and Io (a moon of Saturn). We are learning so much, every day, from the images from Hubble and the Martian rover Curiosity. They more than pay for themselves.

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The next image for our stellar trek, today, comes from a nebula with a very subdued name ‘The Butterfly Nebula’[3][aka NGC 6302]. The ‘Butterfly Nebula’ is anything but subdued or dolce. The center star of this nebula is a ‘White Dwarf’ and only discovered in 2009. Known of since 1888, drawn and described in 1907 by Edward Emerson Barnard this gaseous nebula looks more like a graphics for a modern day science fiction movie than a nursery for the stars. The outgases, that make up the brilliant blue and red lobes of this nebula are actually stellar debris and gasses moving at 600,000 miles per hour.

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[caption id="attachment_2732" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Butterfly Emerges from Stellar Demise in Planetary Nebula NGC 6302[/caption]

(Butterfly Emerges from Stellar Demise in Planetary Nebula NGC 6302)

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Our next image, and member of our galactic neighborhood, is a mere 1,500 light years from our solar system. What makes the following image distinct is that it is the “single sharpest image ever” of… … … (drum roll please)… The Orion Nebula[4]. Yes, even the ‘lay’est’ of laymen has heard of the Orion Nebula. There are more pictures/images of this particular nebula than (I believe) any other nebula in the Milky Way. The Orion is a textbook nebula with more than 3,000 stars of various sizes and stages of development. The study of just this one nebula can give mankind more understanding of the life, death and development of stars than any other single place in the known universe. That is why this incredibly sharp image, taken by Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, is so very important to astrophysicists and scientists alike.

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[caption id="attachment_2727" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hubble's Sharpest View of the Orion Nebula[/caption]

(Hubble's Sharpest View of the Orion Nebula)

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Boy, it seems as if I am on quite a roll, here today, in presenting better and more impressive images one after another. So impressed, I am, with the visuals of this nebula I have elected to include two images in this edition. Two images, in one edition, is unheard of in the month that I have published this stellar series. As I was saying the Orion Nebula has 3,000+ stars in all sizes, all stages of development and gives mankind a very unique opportunity. A unique opportunity to study thousands of; births, life-spans and deaths of stars all in one place. Further, being in the same nebula the same quadrant of space and under the same gravitational influences, it creates a laboratory like environment for astrophysicists and scientists of all disciplines. However, I am just struck by its beauty, and depth of visual spectacle.

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The subject of the next two images is the Carina Nebula[5]. The first of the next two images (both of Carina Nebula) is a Fifty Light Year View of this nebula. That makes this (top of the two) image the single LARGEST IMAGE EVER taken by the Hubble Space telescope. That is a huge (pardon the pun) achievement for NASA/JPL and mankind. As well, with the Carina Nebula we have a unique opportunity to observe a stellar nursery at the very dense arm of a spiral galaxy. The Carina Nebula is giving birth to a spiral galaxy identical to our own, the Milky Way galaxy. Witnessing this birth, is like witnessing the birth of our own sun Sol. Our own solar system and perhaps even our own planet Earth! Please take a close look at the following two images as they could well reveal the very creation of another Earth. I hope you enjoy these two images as much as I do.

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[caption id="attachment_2728" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The Carina Nebula Star Birth in the Extreme[/caption]

(The Carina Nebula Star Birth in the Extreme)

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[caption id="attachment_2733" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Carina Nebula[/caption]

(Carina Nebula)

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Now, for out very last image for this edition of ‘Lost in Space’. Not leaving the Carina Nebula I wanted to share another brilliant image. This image shows an image of a stellar jet in the Carina nebula. The image was taken ultraviolet/visible light and is terribly revealing and educational. This image, taken with the Wide Field Imaging Camera and the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph aboard the Hubble space telescope, shows us an aspect of the life-span of a star mankind had never seen previously. See, I hadn’t even arrived at this point in the research, when I stated as much, in the paragraph above. Honestly, the way I research and upload/download these images just keeps me guessing up to the moment I press ‘Publish’. 

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[caption id="attachment_2726" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hubble WFC3 image of a stellar jet in Carina[/caption]

(Hubble WFC3 image of a stellar jet in Carina)

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Well, My Dear Readers, that brings us to the very end of this week’s edition of ‘Lost in Space’. I really do hope that you have enjoyed this article just as much as I have enjoyed; picking out the images, researching the galaxies and stars, downloading the images to my computer, uploading them to my blog(s) [both] and integrating the images and the narrative I have written. Yes, it is a lot of work. Both ‘Lost in Space’ and ‘The Mars Report’ have the exact same construction, writing, editing and publication processes.

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It is all worth it to me to enlighten and entertain you, My Dear Readers. You see I LOVE the stars. Everything about stars and galaxies and nebula, and all the science that goes into their study, brings a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart. I simply love sharing, what I can, of space and the stars with you, My Dear Readers. So, when all is said and done this is a joy for me, and I hope it brings joy to you!

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Now, if I may… and I do apologize if this is ‘Bad Form’. If you would please take a moment and press the ‘Like’ button just below the bottom of this article. That way I know that I am reaching people, that this series of articles is a success and I can pass this information along. I would very much appreciate your ‘Likes’.

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As well, if you are on Facebook and see this promoted there? Would you Please consider… ‘Sharing’ this edition of ‘Lost in Space’ with your friends? I understand that is asking a lot… but I really do believe that your friends will likely enjoy this article, the images from space and the science and information just as much as you, My Dear Readers. Thank you for your time and consideration regardless of your choice. My Dear Readers, it is you that I get up for every single morning.

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Thank you for coming by, and thank you for all your time and efforts.

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="234"] The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]

www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning 2/2014[/caption]

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[1]http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:N_49_Supernova_remnant.jpg

[2]http://messier.seds.org/m/m051.html

[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_6302

[4]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula

[5]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carina_Nebula