Posted on 04/20/2012 4:24:29 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: Except for the rings of Saturn, the Ring Nebula (M57) is probably the most famous celestial band. Its classic appearance is understood to be due to perspective - our view from planet Earth looks down the center of a roughly barrel-shaped cloud of glowing gas. But expansive looping structures are seen to extend far beyond the Ring Nebula's familiar central regions in this intriguing composite of ground based and Hubble Space Telescope images with narrowband image data from Subaru. Of course, in this well-studied example of a planetary nebula, the glowing material does not come from planets. Instead, the gaseous shroud represents outer layers expelled from the dying, once sun-like star at the nebula's center. Intense ultraviolet light from the hot central star ionizes atoms in the gas. Ionized oxygen atoms produce the characteristic greenish glow and ionized hydrogen the prominent red emission. The central ring of the Ring Nebula is about one light-year across and 2,000 light-years away. To accompany tonight's shooting stars it shines in the northern constellation Lyra.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit: Credit: Composite Image Data: Subaru Telescope (NAOJ), Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing and additional imaging - Robert Gendler]
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If I wasn’t in such a light polluted area, I would love to get a Dobs Telescope for these deep space beauties.
looks like a cross between the catseye and eta carinae..
just imagine how quick ya could bake a pizza or calzone in one of them things? ;-)
On the bright side there WAS a muff involved.
This pic is off the hook.
this doesn’t concern anyone’s anus, does it?
God said: “let it be and it was”! Wow!
Really Excellent! Love it!
A friend has a 32” Dobsonian that I saw that through.
I could swear I saw color. I know that’s not really possible but the image was so clear my mind might have filled in the blanks.
Please control yourselves with the obligatory clear mind comments.
Attaching a digital CCD camera to the Dobs will pick up wavelength colors our eyes cant process.
“Ring Nebula is probably the most famous celestial band” Has Kenny G ever played with them? You can’t be really famous unless Kenny G has played with your band.
:’D
The only track I can think of that I really like is “Wizard Island”, the title track, when he was a side man in The Jeff Lorber Fusion.
I saw it through a 6" refractor, on an absolutely still, moonless and clear night, and I still had to use averted peripheral vision after night adapting my eyes for a couple of hours. It appeared like a tiny grey ghost image flickering in and out of view - but I saw it! LOL!
Love The Jeff Lorber Fusion.
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