Tag: star formation
Cold’s Greenish Glow
by CritterKeeper on Sep.01, 2010, under Eyes in the Sky
Credit: NASA, ESA and Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri (Observatoire de Paris, France)
Cold doesn’t actually have a color; well, maybe blue lips in the wintertime. To help us see new stars being born deep within the thick dust of nebulae, astronomers use special telescopes to see the star’s glow.
Blowing Bubbles
by CritterKeeper on Aug.30, 2010, under General
Credit: NASA, ESA, Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri (Observatoire de Paris, France)
New stars in N83B are blowing bubbles in this image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
A Blooming Rose
by CritterKeeper on Aug.17, 2010, under Plants/Flowers
Credit: NASA, ESA and Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri (Observatoire de Paris, France)
Fierce radiation from N11A’s central star is shaping a delicate rose in space in this image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
Leaping Fish
by CritterKeeper on Aug.16, 2010, under Water Creatures
Credit: NASA, ESA and Orsola De Marco (Macquarie University)
Strange shapes, leaping fish and pincers can be found in the colorful sea of gas and dust amid bright blue stars in the star–forming region of NGC 2467.
Barred Eye
by CritterKeeper on Aug.06, 2010, under Eyes in the Sky
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Clusters of hot, blue stars swirl along the star lanes of barred spiral NGC 1672.
Space Brains, Beans and Bubbles
by CritterKeeper on Jun.28, 2010, under Eyes in the Sky
Credit: NASA, ESA and Jesús Maíz Apellániz (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Spain)
Resembling a giant brain, this image of N11 in the Large Magellanic Cloud from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is a space bubble filled with new stars.
Catching a Wave
by CritterKeeper on Apr.14, 2010, under General
Credit: ESA/PACS & SPIRE Consortium/HOBYS Key Programme Consortia
A colorful, stellar wave crashes over a cosmic beach in this new image from the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Telescope.
Deep Space Drama
by CritterKeeper on Feb.04, 2010, under Water Creatures
Credit: NASA, ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI).
Drama plays out in deep space as a small fish swims from the jaws of a larger creature.
Whale of a Galaxy
by CritterKeeper on Jan.20, 2010, under Water Creatures
Credit: NASA & ESA and J. Dalcanton and B. Williams (University of Washington, Seattle)
This galactic whale is actually a spiral galaxy. But in this image of NGC 2976 from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, it sure doesn’t look like one.
Black Widow
by CritterKeeper on Jan.18, 2010, under Bugs, birds and other animals
Credit: NASA/JPL–Caltech/E. Churchwell (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and the GLIMPSE Team
A cosmic spider-shaped nebula hides in a dark corner of space. Astronomers looking toward the constellation Circinus with earth-based telescopes saw only a fuzzy, hourglass-shaped patch of light. But when they turned the dust-piercing, infrared light gathering NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope at this spot in the sky, they discovered a nebula blooming with clusters of massive young stars. Astronomers called it the “Black Widow 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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