Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Evaporating Blobs of the Carina Nebula

NASA ^ | April 23, 2012 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: No, they are not alive -- but they are dying. The unusual blobs found in the Carina nebula, some of which are seen floating on the upper right, might best be described as evaporating. Energetic light and winds from nearby stars are breaking apart the dark dust grains that make the iconic forms opaque. Ironically the blobs, otherwise known as dark molecular clouds, frequently create in their midst the very stars that later destroy them. The floating space mountains pictured above by the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope span a few light months. The Great Nebula in Carina itself spans about 30 light years, lies about 7,500 light years away, and can be seen with a small telescope toward the constellation of Keel (Carina).

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA]

[SunkenCiv]

I use "Carina Giving the Bird" for one of the possible ping messages on the String Theory ping list, so this was amusing.

Tomorrow's looks like fun:.

Tomorrow's picture: asteroid approaching

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[SunkenCiv]

I use "Carina Giving the Bird" for one of the possible ping messages on the String Theory ping list, so this was amusing.

Tomorrow's looks like fun:.

Tomorrow's picture: asteroid approaching

Whoops, forgot the graphic link on the first try.

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[Ken H]

Beware of the Blob!

[dr_lew]

Beware of the Blob!

From the wiki article on The Black Cloud :

The Black Cloud is a science fiction novel written by astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle. Published in 1957, the book details the arrival of an enormous cloud of gas that enters the solar system and threatens to destroy most of the life on Earth by blocking the Sun's radiation.

[.30Carbine]

Your threads are fun and educational!

[Bellflower]

Sounds terrible, but kind of reminds me of pieces of an aborted baby.

[TheOldLady]

I have some blobs that I wish would evaporate...

The large blob in the upper right looks like a monkey jumping off something.

[bigheadfred]

The large blob in the upper right looks like a monkey jumping off something.

Bogart.