May 19, 2009 APOD and the new Hubble space telescope

[the oakster1]

This latest view of sagittarius is well the best I've seen of such sagittarius pictures. I for one like these star field pictures, and it seems to me that the Hubble space telescope has never really done many star fields; with the latest fixes not quite finishing the job(with respect to the high resolution detector; or, was that called the high resolution spectrometer?) . . . basically, the pictures we were hoping along with the science is not going to be quite what we hoped(again). Well, with the wide field though, I'm thinking the hubble picture takers could maybe go for some more 'star field' pictures that havn't been taken! Hopefully, the Hubble can take an even better Sagittarius than this may 19 APOD!

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090519.html

[Dr. Skeptic]

I'm waiting for results from the new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), for every one answer there will be ten new questions.

[BMAONE23]

I just hope they test it before they release it

[apodman]

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090519.html

Before we talk about the detail in the picture, look where the "above spectacular image mosaic" link in the APOD description takes you:

http://robgendlerastropics.com/MWCenter.html

This gives you a choice of various resolutions.

Among the choices, the 5000-pixel-wide labeled image (the same image as the large APOD picture, but with labels added, and which your browser won't automatically shrink to fit your screen) is here:

http://robgendlerastropics.com/MWCenterlabels.html

Here is a small sample cropped from that image:



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I hope all the talk about Sagittarius isn't disorienting anyone. You won't find the most recognizable stars of Sagittarius in the picture. The familiar teapot is out-of-frame upper left. North is to the right. The five bright blue stars on the left of the picture are the tail of Scorpius.

[neufer]

I hope all the talk about Sagittarius isn't disorienting anyone. You won't find the most recognizable stars of Sagittarius in the picture. The familiar teapot is out-of-frame upper left. North is to the right. The five bright blue stars on the left of the picture are the tail of Scorpius.

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The prettiest nebulae in: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090519.html
are the red stings of the Scorpion :


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Explanation: The Cat's Paw Nebula is the glowing red nebula near the top of the above picture -- the lower nebula is NGC 6357. At 5500 light years distant, Cat's Paw is an emission nebula with a red color that originates from an abundance of ionized hydrogen atoms. Alternatively known as the Bear Claw Nebula or NGC 6334, stars nearly ten times the mass of our Sun have been born there in only the past few million years.

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Explanation: Nebulae are perhaps as famous for being identified with familiar shapes as perhaps cats are for getting into trouble. Still, no known cat could have created the vast Cat's Paw Nebula visible in Scorpius. At 5,500 light years distant, Cat's Paw is an emission nebula with a red color that originates from an abundance of ionized hydrogen atoms. Alternatively known as the Bear Claw Nebula or NGC 6334, stars nearly ten times the mass of our Sun have been born there in only the past few million years.

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Explanation: For reasons unknown, NGC 6357 is forming some of the most massive stars ever discovered. Near the more obvious Cat's Paw nebula, NGC 6357 houses the open star cluster Pismis 24, home to these tremendously bright and blue stars. The overall red glow near the inner star forming region results from the emission of ionized hydrogen gas. The surrounding nebula, shown above, holds a complex tapestry of gas, dark dust, stars still forming, and newly born stars. The intricate patterns are caused by complex interactions between interstellar winds, radiation pressures, magnetic fields, and gravity. NGC 6357 spans about 400 light years and lies about 8,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Scorpion.

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Explanation: How massive can a normal star be? Estimates made from distance, brightness and standard solar models had given one star in the open cluster Pismis 24 over 200 times the mass of our Sun, making it a record holder. This star is the brightest object located just above the gas front in the above image. Close inspection of images taken recently with the Hubble Space Telescope, however, have shown that Pismis 24-1 derives its brilliant luminosity not from a single star but from three at least. Component stars would still remain near 100 solar masses, making them among the more massive stars currently on record. Toward the bottom of the image, stars are still forming in the associated emission nebula NGC 6357, including several that appear to be breaking out and illuminating a spectacular cocoon.

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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081009.html

[apodman]

Why is a scorpion an arachnid? It looks like a decapod to me.

[neufer]

Why is a scorpion an arachnid? It looks like a decapod to me.

<<It is commonly understood that arachnids have four pairs of legs, and that arachnids may be easily distinguished from insects by this fact (insects have six legs or three pairs). Arachnids generally have a total of 6 pairs of appendages — two pairs of which have become adapted for feeding, defense, and sensory perception. The first pair of appendages, the chelicerae, serve in feeding and defense. The next pair of appendages, the pedipalps have been adapted for feeding, locomotion, and/or reproductive functions.>>

[Zargon]

When was this picture taken? The May 19th Photo for APOD?

I did not see where the date is...

When? Anyone know?

[Case]

When was this picture taken? The May 19th Photo for APOD?

Sometime this year, according to Robert Gendler's page: ”copyright 2009“.
The various resolution images on that page have meta data that suggest a last edit on May 18, 2009, although those may be a result of getting on APOD, perhaps created some time after the source image was finished.
And it is not a single picture, but a mosaic, taken remotely in Australia (Pingelly Heights Astronomical Observatory), while Mr. Gendler may have been at home in the US, operating a telescope using a web browser.