Starship Asterisk*

[quote="Ann"]...[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maffei_1]Maffei 1[/url] is a most interesting galaxy, a giant elliptical which is likely the nearest of its kind to the Earth (and to the Milky Way). Its distance is given by Wikipedia as 3–4 Mpc, or 2.85 ± 0.36 Mpc[3] or 4.4[sup][size=85]+0.6[/size][/sup][sub][size=85]−0.5[/size][/sub] Mpc[4]. (Sorry about copying so badly.) I don't have the energy to look up exactly how much a parsec is, but I believe that 3-4 Mpc is about equal to 9-13 million light-years. That makes Maffei 1 pretty darn close as giant elliptical galaxies go.

...[/quote]

According to this [url=http://www.unitconversion.org/length/parsecs-to-light-years-conversion.html]handy conversion calculator[/url], 3.5 million parsecs are roughly equal to 11.4 million light years.

[quote="Ann"]As for the Soul Nebula, I too find its name strange. To me the Soul Nebula looks like a slightly grumpy baby, lying on its back with its head to the left (or east). [url=http://www.starkeeper.it/HeartSoul.htm]This great page by Leonardo Orazi[/url] shows us that the designation of the grumpy baby's face is IC 1871.

Ann[/quote]
Grumpy babies got soul.

I checked out the [url=http://www.starkeeper.it/HeartSoul.htm]zoomable image[/url], although I wasn't able to make it zoom. And indeed, like you said, Leonardo, the nearby but extremely reddened galaxies Maffei 1 and Maffei 2 are visible in it. Maffei 2 is the faint diffuse elongated yellow-orange splotch almost exactly at bottom center, whereas Maffei 1 is brighter and slightly further to the right. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maffei_1]Maffei 1[/url] is a most interesting galaxy, a giant elliptical which is likely the nearest of its kind to the Earth (and to the Milky Way). Its distance is given by Wikipedia as 3–4 Mpc, or 2.85 ± 0.36 Mpc[3] or 4.4[sup][size=85]+0.6[/size][/sup][sub][size=85]−0.5[/size][/sub] Mpc[4]. (Sorry about copying so badly.) I don't have the energy to look up exactly how much a parsec is, but I believe that 3-4 Mpc is about equal to 9-13 million light-years. That makes Maffei 1 pretty darn close as giant elliptical galaxies go.

As far as I can remember, this is the first time I have actually seen Maffei 1 and 2 in a picture centered on IC 1805 and IC 1848 (the Heart and Soul Nebulae - [i]okay,[/i] Nebulas. My spellcheck protests.). Thanks again, Leonardo!

As for the Soul Nebula, I too find its name strange. To me the Soul Nebula looks like a slightly grumpy baby, lying on its back with its head to the left (or east). [url=http://www.starkeeper.it/HeartSoul.htm]This great page by Leonardo Orazi[/url] shows us that the designation of the grumpy baby's face is IC 1871.

Ann

[quote="rstevenson"][quote="PhilT"]

Isn't the plural of nebula nebulae ?

Please use nebulae 'going forward' (=in future for us pedantic English types),[/quote]
Maybe, if you're a Latin speaker, but who is nowadays?
It's now common to see Englishified plurals where Latin used to be [i]de rigeur[/i].

So yes, nebulas.[/quote][quote=" http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/emotional-fitness/201308/when-youve-got-the-blahs"]

When You've Got the Blahs
by Barton Goldsmith,August 12, 2013, in Emotional Fitness

<<You’ve got the blahs. You’re not feeling hopeless, but you’re not feeling good either. Sometimes it’s hard to put a finger on it, but it’s a normal thing for most people, and it doesn’t mean you are clinically depressed.>>[/quote]

The explanation states the image is zoomable, but I cannot zoom into it and neither through Leonardo's website. I obviously need some software so could someone please tell me what I need to download in order to be able to zoom into the image. Thanks.

[quote="PhilT"]Isn't the plural of nebula nebulae ?[/quote]
Maybe, if you're a Latin speaker, but who is nowadays? It's now common to see Englishified plurals where Latin used to be [i]de rigeur[/i]. So yes, nebulas.

Rob

Isn't the plural of nebula nebulae ?

Please use nebulae 'going forward' (=in future for us pedantic English types), I've yet to meet anybody 'going backward'........then again they would be in different dimension so no surpise really :D

I took some pictures the other day of two golden eagles and there are orbs everywhere and to me they look like a map of stars, can i email it to you?? Or you can go to my wall and in the album "more Utah scenes" is where its located, please let me know what you think

[quote="Ron-Astro Pharmacist"]I’m glad it wasn’t named “A Soul and Heart Nebula. One might take that the wrong way. :roll:[/quote]

Beyond - My sad sense of humor was referring to the southern (most nebular) region of all of us. :lol2:

[quote="Ron-Astro Pharmacist"]I’m glad it wasn’t named “A Soul and Heart Nebula. One might take that the wrong way. :roll:[/quote]
Now how could a Soul and Heart Nebula, possibly be taken a wrong way :?:

I’m glad it wasn’t named “A Soul and Heart Nebula. One might take that the wrong way. :roll:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph7q-A0bt1M[/youtube]

I wonder how the Soul nebula got its name. Usually nebulae and clusters get named based on some fanciful association to their appearance in the eyepiece of a telescope. But who knows what a soul looks like? I can only assume that the Heart nebula was named first, then some fan of [url=http://hoagy.com/]Hoagy Carmichael[/url] and [url=http://frankloesser.com/]Frank Loesser[/url]'s classic song decided the nearby nebula should complete the pair. Or maybe they were thinking of the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9bH6R3gj0I]Joy Division song[/url] with the same title.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9bH6R3gj0I[/youtube]

Lovely picture, by the way. Thanks!

Thank you so much Ann ... :D i'm so happy !!!
Thanks to APOD staff for choice and pubblication.
Thank to all who giving a look and leave a comment about.

@starsurfer : despite the use of an modified DSLR there's a view of Maffei 1-2 galaxies in zoom view.

Leo

This region looks amazing in infrared images!

Oh, yes....very nice picture...very vivid colors...and the clusters...

kudos

:---[===] *

This is a lovely picture by one of my favorite photographers, Leonardo Orazi. Congratulations on your APOD, Leonardo! :D

There is some massive star formation goiong on not far from these nebulae, so the area is a most interesting galactic region however you look at it. And when Leonardo Orazi photographs it, it certainly looks stunning.

And is it a coincidence that the Heart Nebula gets an APOD just as Valentine's Day is coming up? :wink:

Ann

[url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140211.html][img]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_140211.jpg[/img] [size=150]The Heart and Soul Nebulas[/size][/url]

[b] Explanation: [/b] Is the heart and soul of our Galaxy located in [url=http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/cas/]Cassiopeia[/url]? Possibly not, but that is where two bright [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html]emission nebulas[/url] nicknamed [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/%20http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsIL07eOqOU]Heart and Soul[/url] can be found. The [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061003.html]Heart Nebula[/url], officially dubbed [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111025.html]IC 1805[/url] and [url=http://www.starkeeper.it/HeartSoul.htm]visible in the above[/url] zoomable view on the right, has a shape reminiscent of a classical [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_(symbol)]heart symbol[/url]. Both nebulas shine brightly in the red light of [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030410.html]energized[/url] [url=http://periodic.lanl.gov/1.shtml]hydrogen[/url]. Several young [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/open_clusters.html]open clusters[/url] of stars populate the image and are [url=http://www.starkeeper.it/HeartSoul.htm]visible above[/url] in blue, including the nebula centers. [url=http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html]Light[/url] takes about 6,000 years to reach us from these nebulas, which together span roughly 300 [url=http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html]light years[/url]. [url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999A%26AS..136..313S]Studies[/url] of stars and clusters like those found in the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Nebula]Heart[/url] and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Nebula]Soul[/url] Nebulas have focussed on how [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030622.html]massive stars[/url] form and how they affect their environment.

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