APOD: Orion and the Running Man (2023 Mar 10)

[APOD Robot]

Orion and the Running Man

Explanation: Few cosmic vistas excite the imagination like The Great Nebula in Orion. Visible as a faint celestial smudge to the naked-eye, the nearest large star-forming region sprawls across this sharp telescopic image, recorded on a cold January night in dark skies from West Virginia, planet Earth. Also known as M42, the Orion Nebula's glowing gas surrounds hot, young stars. About 40 light-years across, it lies at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1,500 light-years away within the same spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy as the Sun. Along with dusty bluish reflection nebula NGC 1977 and friends near the top of the frame, the eye-catching nebulae represent only a small fraction of our galactic neighborhood's wealth of star-forming material. Within the well-studied stellar nursery, astronomers have also identified what appear to be numerous infant solar systems.

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[jks]

I see a cyclist.

[De58te]

"astronomers have also identified what appear to be numerous infant solar systems."

I am curious. By definition the solar system are 8 planets and other objects such as asteroids and comets that are orbiting the Sun also called Sol. So how can our Sun produce numerous infant solar systems at least 1,500 light years away? Wouldn't they be called other star infant planetary systems?

[Sa Ji Tario]

By adoption we call all the systems around a star "solar systems" since the Sun is one of them. We must not be exquisite in calling those whom we recognize by similarity in another way.

[Chris Peterson]

"astronomers have also identified what appear to be numerous infant solar systems."

I am curious. By definition the solar system are 8 planets and other objects such as asteroids and comets that are orbiting the Sun also called Sol. So how can our Sun produce numerous infant solar systems at least 1,500 light years away? Wouldn't they be called other star infant planetary systems?

By convention, "solar system" and "planetary system" are largely synonymous. If you turn it into a proper noun (i.e. "Solar System") it unambiguously refers to our own system. "Solar" in general can be used in reference to other stars, just like "geo" can be used in reference other planets (we almost always talk about "martian geology", for example).

[Ann]

"astronomers have also identified what appear to be numerous infant solar systems."

I am curious. By definition the solar system are 8 planets and other objects such as asteroids and comets that are orbiting the Sun also called Sol. So how can our Sun produce numerous infant solar systems at least 1,500 light years away? Wouldn't they be called other star infant planetary systems?

By convention, "solar system" and "planetary system" are largely synonymous. If you turn it into a proper noun (i.e. "Solar System") it unambiguously refers to our own system. "Solar" in general can be used in reference to other stars, just like "geo" can be used in reference other planets (we almost always talk about "martian geology", for example).

Martian martiology?

Ann

[Chris Peterson]

"astronomers have also identified what appear to be numerous infant solar systems."

I am curious. By definition the solar system are 8 planets and other objects such as asteroids and comets that are orbiting the Sun also called Sol. So how can our Sun produce numerous infant solar systems at least 1,500 light years away? Wouldn't they be called other star infant planetary systems?

By convention, "solar system" and "planetary system" are largely synonymous. If you turn it into a proper noun (i.e. "Solar System") it unambiguously refers to our own system. "Solar" in general can be used in reference to other stars, just like "geo" can be used in reference other planets (we almost always talk about "martian geology", for example).

Martian martiology? :mrgreen:

Ann

The term areology occasionally shows up for martian geology. But most people just stick with geology.

[johnnydeep]

Am I correct in saying the the "Great Nebula in Orion" is merely one small part of the much larger "Orion molecular cloud complex"? The latter being the collection of many different separate nebula in and around the stars making up the Orion asterism?

[Chris Peterson]

Am I correct in saying the the "Great Nebula in Orion" is merely one small part of the much larger "Orion molecular cloud complex"? The latter being the collection of many different separate nebula in and around that stars making up the Orion asterism?

It's kind of like looking at a sky full of clouds and giving one of them a name. It might make you feel good, but it doesn't mean anything to the weather system.

There are lots of examples of big nebular regions where various clumps or shadows within them have been given such designations.

[orin stepanek]

I don't even have to let my imagination run wild! It just looks like a
running man!

[AstroLux]

Very sharp image for such a "small" aperture.

[johnnydeep]

Am I correct in saying the the "Great Nebula in Orion" is merely one small part of the much larger "Orion molecular cloud complex"? The latter being the collection of many different separate nebula in and around the stars making up the Orion asterism?

It's kind of like looking at a sky full of clouds and giving one of them a name. It might make you feel good, but it doesn't mean anything to the weather system.

There are lots of examples of big nebular regions where various clumps or shadows within them have been given such designations.

Go it. Found this nicely annotated image of the entire "complex" with the small "Great" Orion Nebula pointed out, along with things:

Click to view full size image

[starsurfer]

I still remember seeing David Malin's AAO photo of this region more than 20 years ago.