Archive for September, 2009
Singing Frog
by CritterKeeper on Sep.30, 2009, under Bugs, birds and other animals
Credit: NASA, ESA, Y. Nazé (University of Liège, Belgium) and Y.-H. Chu (University of Illinois, Urbana)
Although he is sideways, I see a singing frog with mouth wide open and head up.
Space Slug
by CritterKeeper on Sep.29, 2009, under Bugs, birds and other animals
Credit: NASA/ESA and Jeff Hester (Arizona State University)
Sometimes when we look closer at images we see even more shapes. In the image of the Trifid Nebula we find a giant space slug. It’s right at the edge of the frame and easy to miss.
Spirograph Eye
by CritterKeeper on Sep.28, 2009, under Eyes in the Sky
Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Glowing with many colors, the planetary nebula called the Spirograph Nebula, shows the last stage of a star’s life. After running out of hydrogen fuel, the star at the center grew to a huge red giant. Then the star shed its outer layers, creating a bubble in space. Eventually the small hot core left behind will become a white dwarf.
Glowy, swirly jungle
by CritterKeeper on Sep.25, 2009, under Bugs, birds and other animals
Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
If you set out to find a starry version of “Where the Wild Things Are,” you’d find it in the Carina Nebula. All week, we’ve been exploring the way the swirls in the star cloud look like animals; a swift, caterpillar and an eagle, and sea monsters.
Monsters of a starry sea
by CritterKeeper on Sep.24, 2009, under Fantasy Creatures
Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Like sea serpents riding the waves, a group of creatures rise out of the gas and dust of the Carina Nebula. All week, we’ve been exploring the way the swirls in the star cloud look like animals; a swift, caterpillar and an eagle.
Wings of gas and dust
by CritterKeeper on Sep.23, 2009, under Bugs, birds and other animals
Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Giant bird shapes seem to abound within the glowing gas of the Carina Nebula. Monday we found a stellar swift. Today, it looks like a swan, or pelican, or eagle.
Cosmic Caterpillar
by CritterKeeper on Sep.22, 2009, under Bugs, birds and other animals
Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
We continue our journey, exploring the giant creatures lurking in the glowing gas of the Carina Nebula.
Starry Swift
by CritterKeeper on Sep.21, 2009, under Bugs, birds and other animals
Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
This week, let’s explore the fantasy lands of the Carina Nebula. Giant creatures of glowing dust and monster stars inhabit this area.
Eerie Eye
by CritterKeeper on Sep.18, 2009, under Eyes in the Sky
Credit: Raghvendra Sahai and John Trauger (JPL), the WFPC2 science team, and NASA
An eerie green eye stares back at us in this image of MyCn18 by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Also known as the Hourglass Nebula, MyCn18 is a young planetary nebula located about 8,000 light years away toward the constellation Musca, the fly.
Bow tie Butterfly
by CritterKeeper on Sep.17, 2009, under Bugs, birds and other animals
Credit: European Space Agency, NASA
The Bow Tie Nebula, or Boomerang Nebula, is the coldest object found in the universe so far. The nebula is a chilly –272 degrees Celsius, only 1 degree above absolute zero. Absolute zero is the lowest limit for all temperatures. Everything stops moving at this temperature. Even the glow left over the Big Bang is warmer than the Boomerang Nebula.
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Welcome to Starry Critters!
Thanks for dropping by! This site combines incredible imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and other great observatories with the imagination of children. Explore and share the patterns you see in the nebula, galaxies and star clusters.Note to Parents and Educators:
The main focus of the site are the images of space. We believe the explanations are best suited for parents, educators and upper grade students. Parents may find it helpful to view the site with their children and explore the universe together using the explanatory text as a guide. Background text is provided to let you know the real story behind the image. Links, very useful for parents and teachers, include definitions and will take you to other sites for even more detail.
Zoom in and out and pan around the images to find your own patterns in the stars. Be creative and think outside the box.Tell us your stories and let us know what you find! Feel free to join the discussion by leaving comments, and stay updated by subscribing to the RSS feed.
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