Lost in Space - April 16th 2014

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

(Galaxy M106)

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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’.

.

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’!

.

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.

.

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

(DEM L 190)

.

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.

.

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

(Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and Companion Galaxy)

.

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.

.

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.

.

[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)

.

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.

.

[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)

.

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.

.

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.

.

[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)

&

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

(Carina Nebula)

.

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’. 

.

[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)

.

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.

.

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!

.

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’.

.

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.

.

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

.

Adieu!

.

Thank YOU!

.

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

www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

.

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

---

[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

Lost in Space - April 9th, 2014

             Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. My Dear Readers, it is not often that I take time to revel in my achievements, bathe in the glory of success. That changes, for today, now! Last week saw the second edition of this article series ‘Lost in Space – April 2^nd, 2014’. By today, Sunday, this second edition has garnered more ‘Likes’ than the first. It is this success that I celebrate and enjoy. In the past two weeks I have painted this blog with stellar images from distances many can hardly conceive. Scrolling over my creation, I feel a sense of great joy and overwhelming pride.

.

For the enjoyment, entertainment and edification of you, My Dear Readers, I have reached to the stars and brought them to these pages. Again, I extend my reach to the stars and pluck them down for you to enjoy. Today I bring you more images of celestial bodies far flung and lifetimes away. Incredible to view they remind us that there is so much more to existence, life and beauty than that which is earthbound.

.

All of today’s images come from the incredible space telescope Hubble. Hubble has allowed man… empowered mankind to see further in space, and further back in time, than ever before. In its twenty-four years of service it has returned, on American’s investment, a million-fold and allowed us to see back to the beginning of time. My Dear Readers this is the reason that I choose Hubble images for the first three editions of ‘Lost in Space’.

.

However, starting next week we will depart from images light years away. Starting next week I will begin a Tour of our Solar System here in ‘Lost in Space’ at The Other Shoe. I will be using images from; Hubble, Cassini, Voyager, and Magellan spacecraft to bring to you a tour of our Solar System. Well now, let’s not get too far ahead of myself. Today, we look to the stars!

.

For very first image for the day, is an artist’s rendition of visible-light observations of an exoplanet. This exoplanet is one of the closest to our solar system, just a mere 63 light years away. Known as HD 189733b[1], our image shows this blue planet close to its sun. This planet orbits its sun every 22.3 days. With a daytime surface temperature of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and howling winds of 4,500 miles per hour. The blue color is not from surface oceans, like here on Earth, it comes from high clouds laced with silicate particles  .

.

[caption id="attachment_2685" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Artist's Concept Shows Exoplanet HD 189733b[/caption]

(Artist's Concept Shows Exoplanet HD 189733b)

.

For our next image I take you a mere 55 million light years away, to another spiral galaxy named Messier 61[2]. Roughly the same side as our own Milky Way with an approximate diameter of 100,000 light-years. In our image, here today, Messier 61 looks directly into the Hubble space telescope. Giving us a wonderful on-side view of this galactic body, just for us to enjoy here today. Just think, My Dear Readers, we live at the very extreme spiral arm of a galaxy very much like this one.

.

[caption id="attachment_2689" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Messier 61 Looks Straight Into Hubble's Camera[/caption]

(Messier 61 Looks Straight Into Hubble's Camera)

.

WE now bolt back over millions of light years to arrive at only 150 light years from earth. Our destination is the star cluster Hyades[3], in the constellation Taurus. Our image is of a dead star who’s orbit is polluted with the debris of planets. All the planets that, once, made up its solar system destroyed in the sun’s fiery death. This is an image of an intergalactic graveyard, but it makes for a spectacular image for us to view.

.

[caption id="attachment_2690" align="aligncenter" width="630"] NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Finds Dead Stars 'Polluted with Planet Debris[/caption]

(NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Finds Dead Stars 'Polluted with Planet Debris)

.

Known, collectively, as Arp 142 this intergalactic collision of two star systems. The spiral galaxy NGC 2936[4] and the elliptical galaxy NGC 2937[5] are intertwined in a galactic dance of death. Now, the Hubble page says that this looks like a bird. I disagree, I think that it looks like the head of a dolphin. Either way, bird or dolphin it is an incredible site for human eyes, and I have it here for you, My Dear Readers.

.

[caption id="attachment_2686" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Colliding Galaxy Pair Takes Flight[/caption]

(Colliding Galaxy Pair Takes Flight)

.

Just keeping the eye-candy going, here at The Other Shoe, even the web site labels our next entry as a ‘Galactic Spectacle’. Who am I to argue with them? Our next stunning visual image is a composite image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue), the Hubble Space Telescope (gold), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (red). A mere 62 million light years away, these colliding galaxies are creating a spectacle just for our… entertainment? I often find myself wondering if there is life being lost in some of these images? I hope now, but that will not stop me from sharing.

.

[caption id="attachment_2684" align="aligncenter" width="630"] A Galactic Spectacle[/caption]

(A Galactic Spectacle)

.

As always, saving the best image for the last we bring this edition of ‘Lost in Space’to a close. The subject of our final image is the spiral galaxy of NGC 1084[6]. A near perfect specimen of a spiral galaxy this particular one has been host to several supernova explosions, just in the time mankind has been able to watch. Incredible to think that at any given point, suns like our own, our very near to us could collapse and turn super nova, destroying life for millions of light years around. Kind of makes you wonder… everything we have… everything we know could be blotted out… in the middle of the night… never to be seen again, by a super nova star.

.

[caption id="attachment_2688" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hubble Sees a Spiral Home to Exploding Stars[/caption]

(Hubble Sees a Spiral Home to Exploding Stars)

.

My Dear Readers, that brings us to the end of this week’s edition of ‘Lost in Space’. It brings me great joy to collect and share these phenomenal images just for you, My Dear Readers. I do this for everyone’s enjoyment, for your entertainment and for nothing more. I battle pain… while I do this work… I just do my best to put it out of mind… and push on.

.

I hope that everyone enjoys this week’s edition, I hope that maybe it inspired thought and joy. If you have enjoyed this article, please remember to ‘Like’ and ‘Share’. That is the way I know I did well, that I reached another person somewhere, out there.

.

[caption id="attachment_2687" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hubble reveals the Ring Nebula's true shape[/caption]

(Hubble reveals the Ring Nebula's true shape)

.

Thank you!

.

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

http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

.

.

Lost in Space - April 2nd, 2014

[caption id="attachment_2627" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hubble 24th Anniversary Images of Monkey Head Nebula[/caption]

(Hubble 24^th Anniversary Images of Monkey Head Nebula)

.

 

Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. A very special welcome, indeed, to this the second edition of ‘Lost in Space’! I am quite proud to announce that last week’s, premier, edition of this article helped spearhead the single largest increase in visitor traffic (at both locations) for my blog(s). It would seem, that I am not the only person that enjoys looking at beautiful images from outer space. Kudos to all of you, My Dear Readers, which visited between Wednesday and Sunday of last week as your visits helped. You helped propel my work to ever-growing levels of popularity. That’s a ‘Good Thing’!

.

Therefore, it is with great pleasure that bring to you, My Dear Readers, this second edition of ‘Lost in Space’ here at The Other Shoe. While looking for wondrous and striking images, from outer space, to share with you I stumbled upon a handful of very engaging images. These images, by NASA, are of the earth. Taken from orbit, by satellites, they show our home planet in ways unfamiliar… almost alien. I am not going to showcase them this week. However, you can rest assured that some week (soon) you will see them right here in ‘Lost in Space’.

.

I decided to start this edition of ‘Lost in Space’ with a bang. It is not often that I make one of the best images, the very first image in an article. I don’t know… I looked at this shot and it just… somehow… screamed at me ‘make me first!’. Not to act contrary to inanimate objects, I have decided to listen to my inner voice and make this stellar image, first. This is an enlargement from the image at the top of this article. Taken on the 24^th Anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope, this image is of the ‘Monkey Head Nebula’[1] (aka NGC_2174). I called this a ‘stellar” image, using stellar as descriptive of the visual impact, ironically it is an image of a stellar nursery’. Looking at this image we see where stars are made. Swirling clouds of hydrogen gas, mixed with stellar dust. We all are made of stardust.

.

[caption id="attachment_2630" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Monkey Head Nebula – Hubble Space Telescope[/caption]

(Monkey Head Nebula – Hubble Space Telescope)

.

Now, we take a huge step back and increase the scope of our gaze star ward. Our next image is not of just one galaxy. Not just one nebula, not just one… anything. The image, below, is as grand as they can get. Known as MACS J0454.1-0300, known as Galaxy Clusters they are some of the most massive structures in the known universe. Every single one of the bright spots, in this image, is a galaxy home to millions to billions of stars, just like our sun. Galactic clusters are so immense, trillions of times the weight and density of our sun, that they can change the behavior of space. To the extent of even bending the path of light as it passes through. This process, known as gravitational lensing[2], can sometimes amplify light acting like a galactic magnifying glass.

.

[caption id="attachment_2628" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hubble Magnifying the Distant Universe MACS J0454-0300[/caption]

(Hubble Magnifying the Distant Universe MACS J0454-0300)

.

While we are standing back and looking deeply into space, and back in time, we catch a glimpse of NGC 5793[3]. In the constellation Libra, nearly 150 million light years away, this is a spiral galaxy just like our own Milky Way. Know as a Seyfert galaxy[4] NGC 5793 has two striking features. A beautiful dust lane and an incredibly luminous center mass. Thousands of times brighter than the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy, it is believed that the center of these Seyfert galaxies is home to super massive black holes. Pulling in clouds of dust and gas, these black holes are billions of times larger than our own sun, Sol. Just an incredible image to behold, I had to include it in today’s edition.

.

[caption id="attachment_2629" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hubble Peers at the Heart of NGC 5793[/caption]

(Hubble Peers at the Heart of NGC 5793)

.

Traveling back closer to home, and bring down the size of our subjects. Below is a shot of Comet ISON, taken back in April of 2013 by Hubble. This comet was only 384 million miles away when captured by the Hubble space telescope. Moving out of the unfathomable cold of deep space, and already warmed by our sun. We see frozen volatiles as they boil off the surface of the comet, causing the telltale ‘tail’ to the comet. The dusty coma, or head, of this comet is 3,100 miles across (about 1.2 times the width of the Australian continent). The tail extends more than 57,000 miles behind the head. I am hoping to track down more and more images from comets. There is even a space vehicle that plans on landing a probe, on to a comet, later this year.

.

[caption id="attachment_2625" align="aligncenter" width="630"] April 10, 2013 View of ISON[/caption]

(April 10, 2013 View of ISON)

.

Yes, I have saved one of the best images for last, My Dear Readers. Located only about 25 million light years away, we see ESO 373-8 another spiral galaxy. A part of the NGC 2997 group we see this spiral galaxy on edge. This gives the galaxy the lowest profile and makes it look similar to a pancake… almost. If we were to see our own home galaxy from 25 million light years away, it would look a great deal like this image.

.

[caption id="attachment_2626" align="aligncenter" width="630"] ESO 373-8 Spiral Galaxy[/caption]

(ESO 373-8 Spiral Galaxy)

.

You see, My Dear Readers, that is one of the reasons that I write and publish material like this, and ‘The Mars Report’.

.

We, Americans, really need to get comfortable… with space. We need to stop seeing it as so foreign and endeavor to make it a part of our day-to-day lives. America, recently, made a huge and grave mistake. President Obama passed an Executive Order removing ‘Manned Space Flight’ from the goals of NASA, and all governmental space flight goals. With the same stroke of the pen, President Obama (I believe mistakenly) turned over all manned space flight to commercial/private industry. Yes, for the very first time in the history of our nation space (for manned flight) is now NOT about science and is all about… profits.

.

It is my informed opinion that this will result in more deaths in space than NASA ever experienced. It is my belief that space flight should be space exploration! That making manned flight some commercial endeavor is a deadly proposition. My only comfort is that this was just an Executive Order. Meaning, that just as soon as President Obama is out of office, this can be repealed and NASA can again take control over manned space flight. It should be NASA that puts the first boots on the surface of Mars… NOT some private company. It is this belief that has lead me to leave out information about ‘Mars One’ from ‘The Mars Report’. It is a private project to colonize Mars with volunteers. There is a responsibility that comes with manned space flight. A responsibility that is in direct conflict with; profit motives, commercialization, and capitalism.

.

I feel very strongly about this subject, and there is little to be said that would change my mind. NASA, for the next two generations, should be the ONLY organization that engages in manned space flight. Further, congress needs to fully fund a project to make America the first nation to put man on MARS!

.

As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

.

Thank YOU!

.

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

http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

.

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

 

---

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_2174

 

[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_lens

 

[3]http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_5793

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

 

Lost in Sapce #1 - March 26th, 2014

[caption id="attachment_2598" align="aligncenter" width="630"] (Hubble Looking into the Heart of the Milky Way)[/caption]

(Hubble Looking into the Heart of the Milky Way)

         Welcome back MY Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today, and with this article, I am launching a brand-new series of articles for The Other Shoe. As you can see from the title of this article the name of this all-new series is ‘Lost in Space’. Yes, I lifted the name from a TV series I very much enjoyed as a boy. However, every month I find more and more articles, about space, that just do not fit into ‘The Mars Report’. Therefore, from this day forward every article about space exploration, space flight, experimentations and space flight, the potential commercial colonization of Mars, and/or any other article I find about space will be found here every week in ‘Lost in Space’.

.

Now, as I mentioned in a recent article I published here, it is unlikely yours truly will ever slipped the surly bonds of earth. You just don’t know, My Dear Readers, how much that thoroughly sucks. Life goes on. Just because I will not be able to embrace my personal dreams of leaving Earth’s orbit. That does not mean I cannot help bring the wonders of space to you, My Dear Readers.

.

You see, My Dear Readers, last week while I was celebrating the 400^th article published here at The Other Shoe and the four year anniversary I wrote that I would do anything to improve this blog. That I was going to read double my efforts to make The Other Shoe a better place for all of you. A better place for all of you to come for; entertainment, information, political editorial, creative writing, news from space and even of horror story or two. I don’t know if I’m doing this in spite of or because of my declining health.

.

Each passing day I can tell that I am able to do less. Each week I feel more pain, and ‘new’ pains. Meaning, I feel pain doing things in my day to day life, where it wasn’t painful a week… or month ago. They say ‘pain is a great motivator’ and I guess my actions here are proof of the truth in those words. Regardless of my pain, I am pushing myself to; write more, think more about different articles, challenge myself to write in fields I have not, and publish more often. This is my goal, and so far I am able to meet that goal.

.

Last week, in seven days, I wrote and published twelve articles. Yesterday, I wrote and published two articles in one day. I have planned, to repeat that performance today.

.

So, for as long as I am physically able you, My Dear Readers, will garner the fruit of my redoubled labors. It was in that spirit that this ‘new’ series ‘Lost in Space’ was born, today. I would not be the least bit surprised if you bear witness to more ‘births’ of new and different content, over the coming weeks and months. Just as a little FYI I was just tossing around the idea of a ‘new’ series of articles named “The World Around Us’. This series will be a catch-all for all things space oriented, and ‘The World Around Us’ would be a catch-all for all things ‘earth sciences. What do you think?

.

For our very first image, in this the premier edition of ‘Lost in Space’, I take you to The Boomerang Nebula[1]. The Boomerang nebula is located 5000 light years from our home here on earth. It is located in the Constellation Centaurus and is also known as ‘The Bow-Tie Nebula’. This nebula has a very unique characteristic. The temperature in the nebula is 1 K (−272.15 °C; −457.87 °F), making it the coolest natural place in the known universe.

.

[caption id="attachment_2599" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Ghostly Specter Haunts the ‘Coldest Place in the Universe’[/caption]

(Ghostly Specter Haunts the ‘Coldest Place in the Universe’)

.

My Dear Readers, I thought that the striking beauty of The Boomerang Nebula, combi9ned with it the title of coolest place in the known universe made this the prefect candidate for ‘First Image’ for ‘Lost in Space’. I wanted to start this series off with a bit of a bang, and since I could not find any available images of ‘The Big Bang’ I figured this would do nicely. Above you will see my first reference (#1) right after the name ‘The Boomerang Nebula’, if you follow that link it will take you to a page with lots of information on this nebula. My Dear Readers, I will endeavor to make sure that each of the articles in this series will have lots of links for you to follow for more information. I would like to encourage your curiosity, and make it easy for you to ‘read more about it’. J

.

Our next image, My Dear Readers, is a starscape taken by the Hubble telescope (FYI all of today’s images are from the Hubble Space Telescope) looking into Terzan 7[2]. Believed to have originated in the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy[3], Terzan 7 is a young globular cluster. Terzan 7 sets itself apart from other young globular clusters, in that it posses a very rich population of blue stragglers[4] concentrated near the center. I was just impressed with the clarity of the image and the overall brilliance.

.

[caption id="attachment_2601" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hubble Looks into Terzan 7[/caption]

Hubble Looks into Terzan 7)

.

Well, I have a pretty good feeling about how this new series is started out so far. Unlike many of my other articles, My Dear Readers, I am not going to leave the best for last. Therefore, if you are a big fan of supernovas then our next image will certainly rank your favorite. Captured while happening in the M82 Galaxy[5], also known as the Messier 82 Galaxy a ‘starburst’ galaxy, is a supernova! The death of several certain types of stars, this is one of nature’s Galactic Firework displays. In this image, the supernova can be seen in the picture-in-picture in the lower right hand corner of the image. ENJOY!

.

[caption id="attachment_2602" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hubble Monitors Supernova In Nearby Galaxy M82[/caption]

(Hubble Monitors Supernova In Nearby Galaxy M82)

.

Out of the six images today, from the Hubble space telescope, the next image is by far my favorite. The earth is located in one of the arms of our spiral galaxy, far out from the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy, a common formation from our current observations. Our Milky Way galaxy is a very calm spiral galaxy. However, not all spiral arm galaxies are quite so sedate. In our next image we see two spiral galaxies (NGC 4038 and NGC 4039) locked in a deadly embrace. For the past few hundred million years these two, normally sedate spiral galaxies, have been sparing with one another. The gravitational actions have literally torn suns out of their host galaxies. Thus creating the a streaming arc between the two galaxies. Currently in a state of starburst the two are now forming an Antenna Galaxy. The nature of starburst cannot continue, and will result in either the two separating from each other or form one very large elliptical galaxy. I think the image is just striking, as is imagining the immense gravitational forces locked in this deadly dance.

.

[caption id="attachment_2603" align="aligncenter" width="630"] NASA Hubble Sees Sparring Antennae Galaxies[/caption]

(NASA Hubble Sees Sparring Antennae Galaxies)

.

Our last image, for this the premier edition of ‘Lost in Space’, is of the actual birth of a star! Forming in the Chameleon cloud[6] the Hubble has captured this striking image. We can clearly see the gases as they stream from the poles of the forming star. Creating a most ethereal object this sun will be known as HH 909A. The streaming gases have illuminated this entire region of space. As if to say, to any onlookers, ‘Hey, look at ME I am being BORN!’. It is images like this one, and really all of those I have shared here today, that have given birth to my fascination with space.

.

[caption id="attachment_2600" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hubble Looks in on a Nursery for Unruly Young Stars[/caption]

(Hubble Looks in on a Nursery for Unruly Young Stars)

.

You see, My Dear Readers, I believe that earth is like mankind’s cradle… or crib. It is where we were laid, once born of star stuff. Our crib is where were have cut our teeth in science… and through war. It is where we were/are confined until such time that we, as a nation and/or a species, set our priorities on getting out of our crib. As with a human child, it is my belief that mankind was not meant to spend the entirety of our existence… in our crib!

.

Just as, over time, mankind threw off the notion that the earth was flat and that if you sailed long enough… you would fall off the earth. Mankind must throw-off the notion that we are earth-bound. IMHO In order for mankind to avoid, eventual, extinction we must leave this earth. I believe that the real future of mankind is as a space-faring species. The sooner that we make; life in space, the exploration of other galaxies, and the colonization of other planets a reality. The sooner we will; decrease the incident of war, increase the opportunities for financial and educational equality for all, end hunger, and continue mankind’s stalled evolution.

.

MY Dear Readers, I hope that you have enjoyed this, FIRST, edition of ‘Lost in Space’. I hope that I have given you images as eye-candy, and a little science as mind-candy. I look forward to bringing you the next edition of “Lost in Space’, and the one after that, and the one after that, and so on and so on. Thank you for taking the time out of your lives to spend here, with me, looking to the stars!

.

As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

.

Thank YOU!

.

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

 

 

---

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomerang_Nebula

 

[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terzan_7

[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_(constellation)

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

 

[5]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_82

 

[6]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaeleon