Tag: carina nebula
Glowy, swirly jungle
by CritterKeeper on Jun.11, 2010, 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.
Carina’s Misty Mountains
by CritterKeeper on Apr.26, 2010, under General
Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)
Towering over the landscape of the Carina Nebula, a surreal, mist-enshrouded, mountainscape awaits travelers today. This dramatic image celebrates the 20th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
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.
The Little Man
by CritterKeeper on Mar.15, 2010, under Bugs, birds and other animals
J. Hester/Arizona state University NASA
Explore the image of Eta Carinae and you’ll see the little man, or homunculus, astronomers saw in their telescopes 150 years ago. Eta Carinae is a star on the brink of destruction. In 1841, the blue hypergiant-star suddenly became the second brightest star in the night sky. During the next 20 years, Eta Carinae, or Eta Car, ejected more mass than our Sun. Then the star faded. When astronomers searched out the star, they found the Homunculus Nebula. In Latin, homunculus means “little man.” Share with us the shapes and stories you see in this nebula.
Hills and Valleys
by CritterKeeper on Nov.23, 2009, under General
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Hills and valleys make up the starry landscape of the star–forming region of NGC 3324. This image from NASA’s Hubble Space telescope shows the edge of a giant cavity of gas. Glowing blue light sets the backdrop for wisps of gas and dark trunks of dust. Ultraviolet radiation and howling solar winds from a cluster of extremely massive and hot young stars outside the image, are causing the nebula to glow. The stars are also pushing gas and dust away from the center to form the wall of the cavity.
Star Puffer
by CritterKeeper on Oct.05, 2009, under Water Creatures
Credit: NASA, NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
The Carina Nebula reminds me of a coral reef with all the rich colors and glowing scenery. We missed what looks to me like a puffer fish during our last look at the Carina Nebula when we found sea monsters, birds and cosmic caterpillars.
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.
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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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