Starship Asterisk*

"The parabolic shape is caused by the widening of the stellar-wind blown cavity over time. " A proto-star's stellar outflow is more usually bi-polar, with a symmetrical parabolic shape either side of the star's axis. I don't know if this is driven by, or directed by, the star's magnetic fi...

Way outside the Nebula, and happening to be in line of sight between us? 4700lys gives a lot of room for other things!
John

Me too! It looks to cast a shadow of the main star on the structures nearer us. A dust cloud would surely have been long ago blown away?

Above taken a week earlier than the APoD. Earth not in plane?

You will have had the same weather system as us, Astronymus! "Anticyclonic Gloom"!
Some parts of the UK have seen the Sun for less than an hour in the last month!

John

I agreed with Christoph, until I thought that this explanation depends on two things. That the majority of the luminosity of the dust tail is reflected sunlight And that anti-tails appear when the Earth passes through the orbital plane of the comet. So wouldn't a dark streak/shadow on the dust tail ...

"Wider field images" may dub this the Heart Nebula, but I claim this bit as The British Isles!

Has the Moon been out drinking? The ring around the Moon has slipped a bit.

Surely this does not bode well? ""Last night, the moon had a golden ring, And to-night no moon we see!"
Wreck of the Hesperus, Longfellow.

Like Lasse, this made me think of "Gravity", and not in a good way.
Good luck to the crew of the ISS, as the Perseids peak.
John

Another Cosmic Congruence! Some one above saw a baby's face in these stars. The latest issue of New Scientist has this cover picture:

Curious Congruence!
Today's EARTH Picture of the Day is "Villarrica Volcano and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds".
https://epod.usra.edu/

Ann, You're the "Colour Queen"! Surely all (or almost all) colours in astronomical photos are artificial, chosen at random when the wavelengths shown are beyond visible light or else exaggerated when they are so faint? That 'blue' galaxy is surely so by choice of the picture editor? APoD, ...

While the bare physics have to be right, and the simulation flawless, I was underwhelmed by the video - surely such an event will be accompanied by more fireworks, with accretion disks and jets exploding? And thank you to Ann for telling me of the "Final Parsec Problem". I found this: &quo...

That looks even more like the back drop for some SF movie!
"Tentacle Creatures of the Smokey Planet!!"

What a clever set of pictures!

Surely they could be put together as an animated film, perhaps by using AI to produce interpolated images? Beyond my skills, I fear!

JOhn

Quote today's blurb, "the scifi novel The Martian by Andy Weir." AND one the the best SF films in years. With an excellent cast, not least Mat Damon, as the "Martian". As for " Dejah Thoris, princess of Helium, and Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark" this film (and book!) wil...

Thank you, Ann!
You took my words, or rather thought, as you expressed it so much better and more knowledgably!
John

Yes, thank you, Chris!

Then some of the secondary particles will be lighter (electrons?) and low energy, so more easily curved by weaker magnetic fields?
John

Some further Qs. In front of the passing view of the sky are random (?) streaks. Are these particles in the Corona, that we see further out but in front of the starry sky beyond? Or are they radiation particles, directly affecting the camera? And why are so many such streaks curved? A charged partic...

ROFL. No, in fact, snickers.

Yes, me!

Just HOW is this a "Wolf" moon?
There are no wolves on the island where I live, and few in Europe, and anyway the animals couldn't give a F&^*&^ about it!

It's beautiful picture of a full moon! Why bring in all the false folkways?
JOhn

The blurb seems a little out of date! AS of yesterday, 29th Jan, Japan regained contact with SNIPER: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/29/asia/japan-moon-sniper-lander-resumes-intl-hnk-scn/index.html John It is back! See the New Scientist report https://www.newscientist.com/article/2414496-japans-sli...

"Cute"? clever or shrewd often in an underhanded manner? No. obviously straining for effect. No attractive or pretty especially in a childish, youthful, or delicate way. The first, perhaps, but these are millions of years old! Please don't use 'cute' about astronomy. In fact, PLEASE don't ...

The blurb seems a little out of date! AS of yesterday, 29th Jan, Japan regained contact with SNIPER:
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/29/asia ... index.html

John