Tag: Hubble Space Telescope
Jupiter’s Ghost
by CritterKeeper on Mar.10, 2010, under Eyes in the Sky
Bruce Balick and Jason Alexander (University of Washington), Arsen Hajian (U.S. Naval Observatory), Yervant Terzian (Cornell University ), , Mario Perinotto (University of Florence), Patrizio Patriarchi (Arcetri Observatory) and NASA/ESA
For unknown, curious reasons, early observers of NGC 3242 thought it resembled the planet Jupiter, giving it the name the Ghost of Jupiter. Others called it the Eye Nebula. Explore this image of the planetary nebula. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope shows great detail of the central ring and the shooting red gas of bipolar flow.
Glowing Worm
by CritterKeeper on Mar.09, 2010, under Bugs
J. Morse/STScI, and NASA
A three trillion mile-long jet called HH-47 resembles a glowing worm in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. Jets are common around newly formed stars. They are the exhaust product of the chaotic formation of the star.
Ones and Zeroes
by CritterKeeper on Mar.08, 2010, under General
NASA, ESA, and M. Livio (STScI)
Our brains try to find order in the extraordinary images we see from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and create patterns in the night sky. In this image of Arp 147, we see what looks like a one and a zero, or a ten.
A Giant Fuzzball
by CritterKeeper on Mar.05, 2010, under General
NASA, ESA and Michael West (ESO)
Occasionally, I find huge furballs tucked away in the far corners of my house. They sit all by themselves, alone, after rolling around gathering up other furballs and assorted smaller pieces of fuzz. Like my huge fuzzballs, ESO 306–17 dominates its area of the universe. Explore the image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and you’ll see plenty of other galaxies. Count up all those spiral galaxies. Those galaxies, however, are either farther away or, like the two bright galaxies at the bottom of the image, much closer than the giant elliptical galaxy.
The Encounter
by CritterKeeper on Mar.04, 2010, under Birds and other animals
NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
A great encounter between a starry sea diver, at the top, and something bigger below is playing out in this image. That’s what I see. What stories can you tell about this image?
Swooping Eagle
by CritterKeeper on Mar.01, 2010, under Birds and other animals
NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
Galaxy interactions are always impressive. ESO 593–8 looks like a swooping eagle or a feather. Explore the NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of these merging galaxies. Do you see any patterns? What stories can you tell?
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.
Starfish Arm Wrestling
by CritterKeeper on Feb.25, 2010, under Water Creatures
Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and K. Noll (STScI)
These galaxies seem to me like starfish arm wrestling or tossing a ball. NGC 6050 and IC 1179 offer a stunning example of merging spiral galaxies in this image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
Cosmic Burger
by CritterKeeper on Feb.24, 2010, under General
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Would you like fries with that giant cosmic hamburger? Gomez’s Hamburger is a strange planetary nebula that looks like a hamburger but it’s actually a sun-like star nearing the end of its life. The central star, which we cannot see in this image, expelled large amounts of gas and dust and may one day develop a more familiar colorful, glowing planetary nebula.
Chaotic Butterfly
by CritterKeeper on Feb.23, 2010, under Bugs
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Chaos reigns in the center of this butterfly-shaped nebula in the constellation Puppis. NGC 2440 is a planetary nebula and is the remains of a star like our Sun. The complex structure within the center of this nebula suggest to astronomers that the star has ejected material periodically in various directions.
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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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