APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02)

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
Post Reply
User avatar
APOD Robot
Otto Posterman
Posts: 5368
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:27 am
Contact:
Contact APOD Robot

APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02)

Post by APOD Robot » Tue Apr 02, 2013 4:05 am

Image IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Reflection Nebula

Explanation: Do you see the horse's head? What you are seeing is not the famous Horsehead nebula toward Orion but rather a fainter nebula that only takes on a familiar form with deeper imaging. The main part of the above imaged molecular cloud complex is a reflection nebula cataloged as IC 4592. Reflection nebulas are actually made up of very fine dust that normally appears dark but can look quite blue when reflecting the light of energetic nearby stars. In this case, the source of much of the reflected light is a star at the eye of the horse. That star is part of Nu Scorpii, one of the brighter star systems toward the constellation of the Scorpion Scorpius. A second reflection nebula dubbed IC 4601 is visible surrounding two stars on the upper right of the image center.

<< Previous APOD This Day in APOD Next APOD >>
[/b]
Top
User avatar
Beyond
500 Gigaderps
Posts: 6889
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:09 am
Location: BEYONDER LAND

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Beyond » Tue Apr 02, 2013 4:17 am

Gee, it actually does look like a horse head. The 'silly' horse in the -horse- link, looks well outfitted for some 'horseing-around' in the Big dipper. :yes: :lol2:
To find the Truth, you must go Beyond.
Top
Boomer12k
:---[===] *
Posts: 2691
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:07 am

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Boomer12k » Tue Apr 02, 2013 5:35 am

Uuuuuuuuuu, Ann must be in 7th Heaven!

Very nice shot.

:---[===] *
Top
User avatar
Ann
4725 Å
Posts: 13416
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:33 am

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Ann » Tue Apr 02, 2013 5:53 am

Boomer12k wrote:Uuuuuuuuuu, Ann must be in 7th Heaven!

Very nice shot.

:---[===] *
Yes, why do our Earthly members of the Equus family not come in this cerulean color here, too? :mrgreen:

Ann
Color Commentator
Top
User avatar
MargaritaMc
Look to the Evenstar
Posts: 1836
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:14 pm
Location: 28°16'7"N 16°36'20"W

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by MargaritaMc » Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:14 am

Image

A present for Ann!

Margarita
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
&mdash; Dr Debra M. Elmegreen, Fellow of the AAAS
Top
User avatar
Ann
4725 Å
Posts: 13416
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:33 am

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Ann » Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:18 am

Why thanks, Margarita, it looks lovely!

So there are blue horses of the Earth after all! :D

Ann
Color Commentator
Top
User avatar
MargaritaMc
Look to the Evenstar
Posts: 1836
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:14 pm
Location: 28°16'7"N 16°36'20"W

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by MargaritaMc » Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:27 am

Ann wrote:Why thanks, Margarita, it looks lovely!

So there are blue horses of the Earth after all! :D

Ann
There is a legend in the Blue Grass country of Kentucky as well.
http://www.visitlex.com/blue-horse.php
Image
Although no one has real evidence that blue horses exist, there are many tales of sightings across the region from legions of true believers. Legend has it that a horse called "Big Lex" turned blue from grazing in nourishing bluegrass pastures his entire life. Perhaps he found the very source of these limestone rich waters. Be on the lookout for a big blue horse as you drive around the backroads that are home to hundreds of horse farms in the area -- you might just see the legendary blue horse yourself.
Margarita
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
&mdash; Dr Debra M. Elmegreen, Fellow of the AAAS
Top
User avatar
Ann
4725 Å
Posts: 13416
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:33 am

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Ann » Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:55 am

Image
Source: bluerosevideos.com
So maybe there are blue roses, too? :ssmile:

Even though http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_rose wrote:
Blue roses, often portrayed in literature and art as a symbol of love and prosperity to those who seek it, do not exist in nature as a result of genetic limitations being imposed upon natural variance.
Although in this legend of the blue rose, white roses look blue by the light of the full moon! How appropriate for Starship Asterisk*!

(Or maybe not... it could be that I just made us drift too far off topic now. Sorry.)

Ann
Color Commentator
Top
User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by neufer » Tue Apr 02, 2013 10:37 am

Click to play embedded YouTube video.
Art Neuendorffer
Top
User avatar
Astronymus
Science Officer
Posts: 147
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2010 10:26 pm
AKA: Astro
Location: Northern Alps

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Astronymus » Tue Apr 02, 2013 10:57 am

More kind of Ghost Horse Nebula.


Let's find its headless rider. :wink:
»Only a dead Earth is a good Earth.«
Top
User avatar
emc
Equine Locutionist
Posts: 1307
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 12:15 pm
AKA: Bear
Location: Ed’s World
Contact:
Contact emc

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by emc » Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:22 pm

Neufer's post is an apropos reflection. Speaking of reflections... A horse is a horse unless it's something else. In eighth grade art class, I started a plaster sculpture modeling the Blue Horse logo. I had to change it to a ram head when I carved the ears too short.
Attachments
LooseLeafBlueHorse.JPG
LooseLeafBlueHorse.JPG (25.67 KiB) Viewed 3596 times
Ed
Casting Art to the Net
Sometimes the best path is a new one.
Top
500pesos
Ensign
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:46 am

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by 500pesos » Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:39 pm

Why oh why do astronomers insist on mispronouncing the Greek alphabet? It is not letter Nu, nor Mu. It's Ni and Mi (pronounced 'nee' and 'mee' as in the English words see, fee or bee).
And by the way, Pi is also pronounced 'pee', as in... pee, not 'paï' as in pie - but fine I guess it's too late to do anything about that, sigh.
Top
User avatar
stephen63
Science Officer
Posts: 304
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:53 am
Location: Pa
Contact:
Contact stephen63

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by stephen63 » Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:46 pm

Fantastic image!
Top
User avatar
Chris Peterson
Abominable Snowman
Posts: 18174
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
Contact:
Contact Chris Peterson

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Chris Peterson » Tue Apr 02, 2013 2:24 pm

500pesos wrote:Why oh why do astronomers insist on mispronouncing the Greek alphabet? It is not letter Nu, nor Mu. It's Ni and Mi (pronounced 'nee' and 'mee' as in the English words see, fee or bee).
And by the way, Pi is also pronounced 'pee', as in... pee, not 'paï' as in pie - but fine I guess it's too late to do anything about that, sigh.
You are making the mistake of assuming your pronunciations are correct. In English, they are not. Nu and Mu are the correct spellings of those Greek letters, and nyu and myu are the correct pronunciations. Just because they are pronounced one way in modern Greek doesn't mean that the pronunciations used by other languages are incorrect.

If you made a reference to Ni Scorpii, it is you who would be incorrect and likely misunderstood.
Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
https://www.cloudbait.com
Top
User avatar
Psnarf
Science Officer
Posts: 320
Joined: Fri Feb 26, 2010 6:19 pm

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Psnarf » Tue Apr 02, 2013 3:44 pm

How soon we forget...http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060808.html That image could have been taken through one of the Star Shadows Remote Observatory telescopes operated remotely. http://www.starshadows.com

Today's APOD image might have been taken through a ground 1981 Celestron C-8 8" Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. Perhaps that might explain the 8 radial artifacts emanating from each bright star and the faint blue globe at the end of the radial arms? There are probably 2-5 stars in that cluster generating the reflection nebula.
Top
User avatar
stephen63
Science Officer
Posts: 304
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:53 am
Location: Pa
Contact:
Contact stephen63

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by stephen63 » Tue Apr 02, 2013 4:03 pm

Psnarf wrote:How soon we forget...http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060808.html That image could have been taken through one of the Star Shadows Remote Observatory telescopes operated remotely. http://www.starshadows.com

Today's APOD image might have been taken through a ground 1981 Celestron C-8 8" Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. Perhaps that might explain the 8 radial artifacts emanating from each bright star and the faint blue globe at the end of the radial arms? There are probably 2-5 stars in that cluster generating the reflection nebula.
It might have been, but it wasn't. It was taken through a Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM lens stopped down to f/3.5. The radial artifacts come from the 8 blades used for the lens diaphragm. :)
Top
User avatar
Chris Peterson
Abominable Snowman
Posts: 18174
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
Contact:
Contact Chris Peterson

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Chris Peterson » Tue Apr 02, 2013 4:59 pm

Psnarf wrote:Today's APOD image might have been taken through a ground 1981 Celestron C-8 8" Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. Perhaps that might explain the 8 radial artifacts emanating from each bright star and the faint blue globe at the end of the radial arms? There are probably 2-5 stars in that cluster generating the reflection nebula.
SCTs don't show linear diffraction artifacts. That is one reason they are popular for imaging. (Refractors don't show them, either, but it is impractical to produce refractors with large apertures, whereas it is common with SCTs.)
Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
https://www.cloudbait.com
Top
Boomer12k
:---[===] *
Posts: 2691
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:07 am

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Boomer12k » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:39 pm

That is a "horse of a different color"....

:---[===] *
Top
Boomer12k
:---[===] *
Posts: 2691
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:07 am

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Boomer12k » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:40 pm

It would be sooooo much nicer, if it weren't sooooo dusty!!! LOL!!! :lol2:

:---[===] *
Top
User avatar
Anthony Barreiro
Turtles all the way down
Posts: 793
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 7:09 pm
Location: San Francisco, California, Turtle Island

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Anthony Barreiro » Tue Apr 02, 2013 10:19 pm

Chris Peterson wrote:
500pesos wrote:Why oh why do astronomers insist on mispronouncing the Greek alphabet? It is not letter Nu, nor Mu. It's Ni and Mi (pronounced 'nee' and 'mee' as in the English words see, fee or bee).
And by the way, Pi is also pronounced 'pee', as in... pee, not 'paï' as in pie - but fine I guess it's too late to do anything about that, sigh.
You are making the mistake of assuming your pronunciations are correct. In English, they are not. Nu and Mu are the correct spellings of those Greek letters, and nyu and myu are the correct pronunciations. Just because they are pronounced one way in modern Greek doesn't mean that the pronunciations used by other languages are incorrect.

If you made a reference to Ni Scorpii, it is you who would be incorrect and likely misunderstood.
Gentlepersons, there are many words and letters that are pronounced differently in different languages, idioms, and dialects. Context is everything. It's true that if somebody giving an astronomy lecture in the US referred to "Nee Scorpii" they would probably be met with blank stares. At the least they would need to clarify that in modern Greek that's how "Nu" is pronounced, and they would probably resign themselves to using the English (mis)pronunciations of Greek letters. It's equally true that a foreign astronomer living in Athens would need to learn to pronounce letters correctly in modern Greek in order to be able to communicate and get around.

Now that I've learned the Greek alphabet well enough to find my way through the Bayer star catalogue, I find it fascinating to learn that modern Greeks pronounce everything differently than I've learned. The world is infinitely more diverse than I will ever comprehend, and that gives me joy and hope.

(P.S. -- This discussion reminds me of descriptive vs. prescriptive grammar.)
Last edited by Anthony Barreiro on Tue Apr 02, 2013 10:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
May all beings be happy, peaceful, and free.
Top
User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by neufer » Tue Apr 02, 2013 10:26 pm

Anthony Barreiro wrote:
(P.S. -- This discussion reminds me of descriptive vs. prescriptive grammar.)
  • Grammar's seeking bet. Armor ticking arson burden barter an shirker cockles.
Art Neuendorffer
Top
User avatar
Anthony Barreiro
Turtles all the way down
Posts: 793
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 7:09 pm
Location: San Francisco, California, Turtle Island

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Anthony Barreiro » Tue Apr 02, 2013 11:22 pm

neufer wrote:
Anthony Barreiro wrote:
(P.S. -- This discussion reminds me of descriptive vs. prescriptive grammar.)
  • Grammar's seeking bet. Armor ticking arson burden barter an shirker cockles.
"O Grammar, water bag mousy gut!"
May all beings be happy, peaceful, and free.
Top
User avatar
Beyond
500 Gigaderps
Posts: 6889
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:09 am
Location: BEYONDER LAND

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by Beyond » Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:30 am

HEY!! I have enuff trubell wit inglash :!:
To find the Truth, you must go Beyond.
Top
User avatar
MargaritaMc
Look to the Evenstar
Posts: 1836
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:14 pm
Location: 28°16'7"N 16°36'20"W

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by MargaritaMc » Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:25 pm

Anthony Barreiro wrote:
neufer wrote:
Anthony Barreiro wrote:
(P.S. -- This discussion reminds me of descriptive vs. prescriptive grammar.)
  • Grammar's seeking bet. Armor ticking arson burden barter an shirker cockles.
"O Grammar, water bag mousy gut!"
Click to play embedded YouTube video.
My Android won't play RealPlayer so I'm in the dark about 'Armor ticking arson' :roll:
Mairzy Doats doesn't come anywhere NEAR that ¿ story? in incomprehensibility!
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
&mdash; Dr Debra M. Elmegreen, Fellow of the AAAS
Top
James Lesley

Re: APOD: IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Nebula... (2013 Apr 02

Post by James Lesley » Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:13 am

8-) What I see is blue. Is that a big cloud of oxigen?
Top
Post Reply

Return to “The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day”