Bystander's Finds #4: Which image would make the best APOD?

[owlice]

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Asterisk poster bystander scours the web every day to find the latest news and images
to share. Here are four of his recent finds; which you do think would make the best APOD?
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<- Bystander's Finds #3


NGC 6744: A Sibling of the Milky Way
Credit: NASA JPL WISE

See this thread for more information.


Hubble Catches Stars on the Move
Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration)

See this thread for more information.


Bok Globules
Credit: Anglo-Australian Telescope

See this thread for more information.


Astronaut's Eye View: Mars Express Orbiting the Red Planet
Credit: European Space Agency

See this thread for more information.

[Ann]

Well, for me the choice was easy. I apparently lack the equipment to see the Mars image, so I can't vote for that. And while I do find some infrared images stunning, I often find such pictures blurry and short on detail. There isn't too much you can see in that infrared image of NGC 6744, compared with the best visible light images. I do realize that you can spot four of five large star-forming regions which are color-coded red, and which show up well in this image.

Here is a visible-light image of NGC 6744 which is not spectacular in any way, and which is upside down compared with the infrared image. http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1293/122 ... 228baa.jpgThe star formation regions are seen almost as well in the visible light image as in the infrared image. More detail is seen in the central part of the galaxy in infrared, however. Nevertheless, this infrared image is too blurry for me to love it or to want to vote for it.

Similarly, the bok globules image, while interesting, isn't the kind of image that I can wax truly enthusiastic over. One objection that I have, which is typical of me, is that I get much less of a kick out of low-mass star formation than I do out of high-mass star formation.

So there is really just one image for me to vote for, and that is the NGC 3603 image. I really like it a lot. I love the well-resolved core of this distant and crowded high-mass cluster. I also think it is a lot of fun to see stars move in there.

Ann