Starship Asterisk*

The Luna Moth Nebula, don't you think?

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/ ... ersole.jpg

What is the object above-right of center? Looks like there is some reaction to energy near the 'center' of the 'lemnisca'.jw

If you're talking about the compact green and blue cloud cloud with a purplish star embedded at it's center, it appears to be a planetary nebula.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060606.html

NGC 6164/NGC 6165 (each side has its own ref. no. in NGC.) is an emission nebula. At the center is star HD 148937.
Although it is also mentioned in some older planetary nebula catalogs (Hen, PK, ARO, VV), a note on SIMBAD says it is not a PN. (My first thought was PN too, before I looked it up. )

I was kind of startled that something that stood out so prominently in the APoD image didn't rate any mention in the text blurb below. Thanks Case!

or maybe they're testing us ...do they have large eyes and silver skin?

Case wrote:http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060606.html

NGC 6164/NGC 6165 (each side has its own ref. no. in NGC.) is an emission nebula. At the center is star HD 148937.
Although it is also mentioned in some older planetary nebula catalogs (Hen, PK, ARO, VV), a note on SIMBAD says it is not a PN. (My first thought was PN too, before I looked it up. )

Actually, reading the APOD caption you linked to, it sounds like it's both an emission and a planetary nebula. Pretty cool

I also like how in today's APOD you can apparently see the green-coded hydrogen outpacing the heavier, blue-coded oxygen.

iamlucky13 wrote:It sounds like it's both an emission and a planetary nebula. Pretty cool.
I also like how in today's APOD you can apparently see the green-coded hydrogen outpacing the heavier, blue-coded oxygen.

Today's high res image also shows a somewhat faint deeper blue lobbed bubble about 3 times wider around the star, as though the star has shed material long before. It even seems to make a sort of clearance in the 6188 nebula, although that may be too much 2D thinking.

Two dragons flying toward earth carrying the 6 6 6 .

Good call on the fainter, more distant blue shell- I see it. In fact, about 3 times further out than that, I see a bumpy but even more definite yellow-orange shell, covering a significant part of the left side of the field, looking to be centered on the same apparent planetary nebula. I checked the link to Hubble palette, and am guessing the false color indicates hydrogen atoms and sulfur ions.

Sure wish the experts would give us an answer on this!

A retired vet!? You'll be able to attend to the dragons when they get here .. give them a nice, big needle full of hydrogen and sulpher.