Fantasy Creatures
Spitting Dragon
by CritterKeeper on Mar.31, 2010, under Fantasy Creatures
Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
A dragon spits star dust in the Carina Nebula. This dragon is part of a huge glowing and swirling cloud of gas and dust. In this image we see star birth as well as star death within the Great Nebula in Carina, also known as NGC 3372.
Dragon Jewels
by CritterKeeper on Feb.26, 2010, under Fantasy Creatures
Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
A dragon swoops in to protect its jewels in this image of NGC 3603. Thousands of sparkling new stars form one of the most massive star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Dragon nest
by CritterKeeper on Jan.19, 2010, under Fantasy Creatures
Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
A firestorm brews in this dragon nest. Whether you see a dragon rising above or an amoeba with antenna in this image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, NGC 604 is one of the largest known areas of star birth. NGC 604 is a vast star cloud, larger than the Orion Nebula and contains stars only about 3 million years old. More than 200 bright blue stars lie within this glowing cloud of gas and dust.
Dragon Mist
by CritterKeeper on Nov.05, 2009, under Fantasy Creatures
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
A brownish dragon rises from the blue mist in this image of a star–forming area by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
Dragons behind the Pillars
by CritterKeeper on Oct.02, 2009, under Fantasy Creatures
Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, J. Hester and P. Scowen (Arizona State University)
There be dragons in the “Pillars of Creation.”
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.
Starman
by CritterKeeper on Sep.16, 2009, under Fantasy Creatures
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. A. Gutermuth (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Head glowing red, with crazy hair, I see a starman floating in this image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. This reflection nebula is actually NGC 1333. Through the dusty cloud, a dense group of stars are being formed. The young stars in NGC 1333 are not one large cluster but two separate clusters. One in the red area and another in the denser parts of the nebula shown in green and yellow.
Fairies
by CritterKeeper on Sep.01, 2009, under Fantasy Creatures
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA)
Not all creatures that we see in space images have to be real. I see a winged, fairy-tale creature standing on a pedestal in this image.
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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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