Tag: Vela
Eight-Burst
by CritterKeeper on May.28, 2010, under Numbers/Letters
Credit: The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA/NASA)
Shaped like the number eight, astronomers in the southern hemisphere call this the Eight-Burst or the Southern Ring Nebula. NGC 3132 is a planetary nebula. The name “planetary nebula” refers to the shape of the nebula. Astronomers in the 17th and 18th centuries found many objects in the night sky that resembled planets. But the expanding shells of gas and dust are all that is left of a star that has reached the end of its life.
Glowing Angelfish
by CritterKeeper on Apr.20, 2010, under Water Creatures
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
The faint nebula known as Gum 19 shows a light and dark angelfish shape in this infrared image from the European Southern Observatory.
Glowing Worm
by CritterKeeper on Mar.09, 2010, under Bugs, birds and other animals
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.
Eight-Burst
by CritterKeeper on Jan.12, 2010, under Eyes in the Sky
Credit: The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA/NASA)
Shaped like the number eight, astronomers in the southern hemisphere call this the Eight-Burst or the Southern Ring Nebula. NGC 3132 is a planetary nebula. The name “planetary nebula” refers to the shape of the nebula. Astronomers in the 17th and 18th centuries found many objects in the night sky that resembled planets. But the expanding shells of gas and dust are all that is left of a star that has reached the end of its life.
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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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