Free Republic

Chicago Police said Sunday night that a child’s head was found in the Garfield Park lagoon, and the case has been classified as a death investigation. Earlier in the day, doctors were awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination of a child’s hands and feet found Saturday in the lagoon. The Cook County medical examiner’s office examined the body parts Sunday morning. Results were pending, but office spokesman Frank Shuftan said it would be impossible to determine the cause and manner of death from the four body parts alone. Reached by phone on Sunday, Dr. Stephen Cina, the Cook County...

Explanation: This fifteen degree wide field of view stretches across the crowded starfields of Sagittarius toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. In fact, the center of the galaxy lies near the right edge of the rich starscape and eleven bright star clusters and nebulae fall near the center of the frame. All eleven are numbered entries in the catalog compiled by 18th century cosmic tourist Charles Messier. Gaining celebrity status with skygazers, M8 (Lagoon), M16 (Eagle), M17 (Omega), and M20 (Trifid) show off the telltale reddish hues of emission nebulae associated with star forming regions. But also eye-catching...

Bluffton, In - Authorities say a Bluffton man apparently drowned when a skid loader he was operating fell into a manure lagoon in Wells County. An Indiana conservation officer says 23 yr old Nicholas Cruz had been cleaning out a cattle lot at Sunny Park Dairy and dumping manure into the lagoon when he apparently lost control of the skid loader.

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 September 8 Stars and Dust of the Lagoon Nebula Credit & Copyright: Richard Crisp Explanation: The large majestic Lagoon Nebula is home for many young stars and hot gas. Spanning 100 light years across while lying only about 5000 light years distant, the Lagoon Nebula is so big and bright that it can be seen without a telescope toward the constellation of Sagittarius. Many bright stars are...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 June 28 Messiers and Mars Credit & Copyright: Michael Cole Explanation: A telescopic tour of the constellation Sagittarius offers the many bright clusters and nebulae of dimensioned space in a starscape surrounding the galactic center. This gorgeous color deep-sky photograph visits two such lovely sights, cataloged by the 18th century cosmic tourist Charles Messier as M8 and M20. M20 (upper left), the Trifid Nebula, presents a striking...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 March 4 In the Center of the Lagoon Nebula Credit: A. Caulet (ST-ECF, ESA), NASA Explanation: The center of the Lagoon Nebula is busy with the awesome spectacle of star formation. Visible in the lower left, at least two long funnel-shaped clouds, each roughly half a light-year long, have been formed by extreme stellar winds and intense energetic starlight. The tremendously bright nearby star, Hershel 36, lights...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 October 6 The Lagoon Nebula in Three Colors Credit: R. Barba, N. Morrell et al. (UNLP), CTIO, NOAO, NSF Explanation: The bright Lagoon Nebula is home to a diverse array of astronomical objects. Particularly interesting sources include a bright open cluster of stars and several energetic star-forming regions. When viewed by eye, cluster light is dominated by an overall red glow that is caused by luminous hydrogen...