Different Directions

Different Directions

Zooming into the Cat’s Paw Nebula

February 7th, 2010

This video zooms in on the star-forming region known as the Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334), which is located not far from the center of our Milky Way.

The Cat’s Paw Nebula is a glowing gas cloud resembling the gigantic pawprint of a celestial cat out on an errand across the Universe. British astronomer John Herschel first recorded NGC 6334 in 1837 during his stay in South Africa. Despite using one of the largest telescopes in the world at the time, Herschel seems to have only noted the brightest part of the cloud, seen here towards the lower left.

Copyright protected on behalf of the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

Copyright protected on behalf of the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

Twitpics In Space

February 6th, 2010

An image of the Moon and Earth sent via Twitter on February 3rd by International Space Station astronaut Jose Hernandez.

astrojosesinpalabras

Hexapod Dance Competition

February 6th, 2010

Best of the third Austrian Hexapod Championships.

hexapod

Check out some new kits at

www.lynxmotion.com

Dinosaur had flamboyant, multi-coloured plumage

February 6th, 2010

A study of a 150 million year old dinosaur fossil has revealed it had multi-colored feathers.

flamboyantdino

Hubble Sees Suspected Asteroid Collision

February 6th, 2010

This leaves open the possibility that the complex debris tail is the result of an impact between two bodies, rather than ice simply melting from a parent body.

“If this interpretation is correct, two small and previously unknown asteroids recently collided, creating a shower of debris that is being swept back into a tail from the collision site by the pressure of sunlight,” Jewitt says

Asteroid collisions are energetic, with an average impact speed of more than 11,000 miles per hour–five times faster than a rifle bullet. The main nucleus of P/2010 A2 would be the surviving remnant of this so-called hypervelocity collision.

asteroidcollision