5/3/2004: Bug nebula

Undertoad · 05-03-2004, 11:57 AM

The latest out of Hubble is another very picturesque one, which gets even better when you hear the explanation which I summarize from this very good description of the whole thing:

What you're looking at there is the end of the life of a star. This star is burning really hot, at 250000 degrees C. That's so hot, so unbelieveably hot, that it's one of those numbers that one just has no comprehension of. The hottest day I've ever felt was about 40 C, and all the measures of C degrees heat I've indirectly felt have at most 3 digits, as produced by fire or kilns or torches. Six digits of heat: you might as well just forget about the whole "heat is this sensation my nerve endings communicate to my brain" thing, because your nerve endings would be completely toasted within any distance you could use them to stick a thermometer to measure this star.

Now, this really hot star is in this shot, but you can't see it, for two reasons. One, it mostly gives off ultraviolet light, which we humans don't see very well with our eyes. Two, the star is totally obscured in this shot by the dust that it has thrown off, which consists of a blanket of hailstones.

Ya follow? Amazingly hot star, so hot we can't conceive of it, and we can't SEE it because it's surrounded by ICE formations. That bright stuff there is hailstones formed around particles of dust.

And they figure the star blew this dust out about 10,000 years ago, but they don't know why it hasn't been evaporated away.

Whoa.

chrisinhouston · 05-03-2004, 12:23 PM

I don't see a bug. You see a bug? Naaa.

wolf · 05-03-2004, 12:40 PM

That's not a bug ... that's a phoenix.

Beestie · 05-03-2004, 12:52 PM

[paranoid]
UT, you ignorant slut, that's no bug, its cosmic flatulence
[/paranoid]

Bullitt · 05-03-2004, 03:27 PM

I still think this was one of the better space flatulents i've seen Here

Beestie · 05-03-2004, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bullitt
I still think this was one of the better space flatulents i've seen Here

[paranoid]
Bitmap, you ignorant slut,you misspelled flatulence
[/paranoid]

Torrere · 05-04-2004, 02:30 AM

Oooh, pretty picture.

Quote:

Ya follow? Amazingly hot star, so hot we can't conceive of it, and we can't SEE it because it's surrounded by ICE formations. That bright stuff there is hailstones formed around particles of dust.

The only way I can deal with these things is to think of them abstractly. I feel that I understand the idea, and it makes sense. However, if I try to connect this with the picture and grasp this as something that exists in the tangible real world, my brain overloads and I can only think: "Oooh, pretty picture."

I wonder what church-going Medieval Europeans would have thought of this picture.

wolf · 05-04-2004, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Beestie

[paranoid]
Bitmap, you ignorant slut,you misspelled flatulence
[/paranoid]

Uh, excuse me, Mr. Grammar Nazi, sir?

That's Bullit, not Bitmap. Poor Bitmap is among the missing.

Beestie · 05-04-2004, 10:39 AM

Originally posted by wolf

Quote:

Uh, excuse me, Mr. Grammar Nazi, sir?

That's Bullit, not Bitmap. Poor Bitmap is among the missing.

Yikes! Sorry Bitmap wherever you are. I'm not really a grammar Nazi, tho - just poking fun at an old thread.

Elspode · 05-04-2004, 12:14 PM

See the long, finger-like structures? That looks a lot like the long, finger-like structures in the Eagle Nebula pictures from a few years back.

Also, it seems that if we could see the whole region, it might look a lot like the now well-known picture of Eta Carinae .

xoxoxoBruce · 05-04-2004, 07:54 PM

Check out the videos on the linc UT put up.

Elspode · 05-04-2004, 08:02 PM

By golly...now, it *does* look real similar to Eta Carinae.

05-03-2004, 11:57 AM	#1
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	5/3/2004: Bug nebula The latest out of Hubble is another very picturesque one, which gets even better when you hear the explanation which I summarize from this very good description of the whole thing: What you're looking at there is the end of the life of a star. This star is burning really hot, at 250000 degrees C. That's so hot, so unbelieveably hot, that it's one of those numbers that one just has no comprehension of. The hottest day I've ever felt was about 40 C, and all the measures of C degrees heat I've indirectly felt have at most 3 digits, as produced by fire or kilns or torches. Six digits of heat: you might as well just forget about the whole "heat is this sensation my nerve endings communicate to my brain" thing, because your nerve endings would be completely toasted within any distance you could use them to stick a thermometer to measure this star. Now, this really hot star is in this shot, but you can't see it, for two reasons. One, it mostly gives off ultraviolet light, which we humans don't see very well with our eyes. Two, the star is totally obscured in this shot by the dust that it has thrown off, which consists of a blanket of hailstones. Ya follow? Amazingly hot star, so hot we can't conceive of it, and we can't SEE it because it's surrounded by ICE formations. That bright stuff there is hailstones formed around particles of dust. And they figure the star blew this dust out about 10,000 years ago, but they don't know why it hasn't been evaporated away. Whoa.

05-03-2004, 12:40 PM	#3
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	That's not a bug ... that's a phoenix. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

05-03-2004, 12:52 PM	#4
Beestie -◊\|≡·∙■·∙≡\|◊- Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Parts unknown. Posts: 4,081	[paranoid] UT, you ignorant slut, that's no bug, its cosmic flatulence [/paranoid] __________________ ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦

05-03-2004, 03:27 PM	#5
Bullitt This is a fully functional babe lair Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 2,324	I still think this was one of the better space flatulents i've seen Here __________________ Kiss my white Irish ass.

05-04-2004, 12:14 PM	#10
Elspode When Do I Get Virtual Unreality? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Raytown, Missouri Posts: 12,719	See the long, finger-like structures? That looks a lot like the long, finger-like structures in the Eagle Nebula pictures from a few years back. Also, it seems that if we could see the whole region, it might look a lot like the now well-known picture of Eta Carinae . __________________ "To those of you who are wearing ties, I think my dad would appreciate it if you took them off." - Robert Moog

05-03-2004, 12:23 PM	#2
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	I don't see a bug. You see a bug? Naaa.

05-04-2004, 07:54 PM	#11
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Check out the videos on the linc UT put up. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

05-04-2004, 08:02 PM	#12
Elspode When Do I Get Virtual Unreality? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Raytown, Missouri Posts: 12,719	By golly...now, it does look real similar to Eta Carinae. __________________ "To those of you who are wearing ties, I think my dad would appreciate it if you took them off." - Robert Moog

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)