Astro-image of the day: Eagle Nebula

[mckitterick]

This is the image that made me really fall in love with the Hubble telescope:

Click the image to see the story and a movie.

Gorgeous image of this emission nebula, a.k.a. IC 4703 - though it's usually associated with the open cluster, M16. The tops of those "pillars" are star-forming regions. Here's a close-up of one such area:


If you follow the links above by clicking the images, you can get tons more information and images for this amazing object.

Best,
Chris

Comments

[breaca.livejournal.com]

I remember those from my college astronomy class. Seeing those was what made me realize that the massive size of objects/particles in the universe was so immense that I just couldn't quite wrap my brain around it.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know. The scale of this is immense! For example, one of those little bumps at the top of one of those pillars is about the size of our entire solar system. There's scale for ya.

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Oh...oh, oh, oh...

::loves the beauty::

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I know. This just stuns me every time.

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

The second, "Pillars of creation", is the most popular Hubble image. I actually made a mouse pad out of it which I had at the Heinlein Centennial.

www.tertiusoculus.com

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Oh, neato!

[bdkellmer.livejournal.com]

I love the pic of the Eagle Nebula. I think images like these from the Hubble do more to promote space exploration than almost anything else.

BTW, I've got a question for you I'm emailing to the gmail account you've got listed on your LJ profile.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

The reason I bought my first computer that had a video card and decent monitor was so I could view Hubble shots like this.

[justaqt.livejournal.com]

I thought these were artist renderings.
-gapes in awe-
wow.

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

I suspect the colorings are added.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Nope, actual photos. The Hubble has been the finest thing ever to happen to astronomy.

[theoneinblue.livejournal.com]

Those are simply amazing...and too much to comprehend...how beautiful...