Starship Asterisk*

Not much discussion or horsing around, this time around with the Horsehead Nebula, sooo... i think I'll post my [color=#FFBFFF]infrapink[/color] version again.

[attachment=0]1365980983.jpg[/attachment]

[quote="BDanielMayfield"][quote="C0ppert0p"]The "Man Playing a Flute" nebula, just off to the left of the Horse Head nebula, would be just as well know, if it were bigger :)[/quote]

I like that, and it demonstrates a fractal nature to these interstellar cloud formations.[/quote]

I like it too, and indeed, it demonstrates the fractal nature of cloud formations!

But the man playing the flute wasn't big enough for [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamina_Fleming]Williamina Fleming[/url] to discover him! :wink:

Ann

[quote="C0ppert0p"]The "Man Playing a Flute" nebula, just off to the left of the Horse Head nebula, would be just as well know, if it were bigger :)[/quote]

I like that, and it demonstrates a fractal nature to these interstellar cloud formations.

The "Man Playing a Flute" nebula, just off to the left of the Horse Head nebula, would be just as well know, if it were bigger :)

[quote="biddie67"]It seems to me that the horse head in this cloud has already become less distinct than the first pictures that I saw of it years ago.[/quote]
Most likely just a consequence of changing imaging technology. Dust nebulas don't evolve rapidly. I doubt there has been any obvious visual change in the Horsehead over a few decades.

Thanks for another year of APOD's and Happy New Year.
It would be more in the tradition of avoiding assumptions if the text here read: "...assumed a recognizable shape presumably by chance."

It seems to me that the horse head in this cloud has already become less distinct than the first pictures that I saw of it years ago.

Always a pleasure....

The vertical streams remind me of Aurora....only red....


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[url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131231.html][img]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_131231.jpg[/img] [size=150]The Horsehead Nebula[/size][/url]

[b] Explanation: [/b] The [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsehead_nebula]Horsehead Nebula[/url] is one of the most famous nebulae on the [url=https://www.facebook.com/APOD.Sky]sky[/url]. It is visible as the dark indentation to the red [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html]emission nebula[/url] in the center of the above photograph. The [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070527.html]horse-head[/url] feature is dark because it is really an opaque [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html]dust[/url] cloud that lies in front of the bright red [url=http://fusedweb.pppl.gov/CPEP/Chart_Pages/5.Plasmas/Nebula/Emission.html]emission nebula[/url]. Like clouds in [url=http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/earth/atmosphere.html]Earth's atmosphere[/url], this cosmic cloud has assumed a [url=http://www.brucevanpatter.com/cloudshapes.html]recognizable shape[/url] by chance. After many thousands of years, the internal motions of the cloud will alter its appearance. The emission [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061015.html]nebula[/url]'s red color is caused by [url=http://www.pbs.org/transistor/science/events/electron.html]electrons[/url] recombining with [url=http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/proton.html]protons[/url] to form [url=http://periodic.lanl.gov/1.shtml]hydrogen[/url] atoms. Also visible at the bottom left of the picture is a greenish [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/reflection_nebulae.html]reflection nebulae[/url] that preferentially [url=http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/blue-sky/en/]reflects the blue light[/url] from [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010318.html]nearby stars[/url].

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