Starship Asterisk*

[quote="Boomer12k"][quote="theMightyZoltran"]Anyone else see the mermaid? Blue figure just left of the cluster.[/quote]

The one standing up in Green or the Bluer one sitting down behind that one???

I have a 9 carat Pale Blue Sapphire, that has an Inclusion that looks a bit like the area in the top left. The Main Bright "Crack" looking part.

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Gee not the Pink Panther Diamond but the Blue Mermaid Sapphire... Sounds breath taking

[quote="theMightyZoltran"]Anyone else see the mermaid? Blue figure just left of the cluster.[/quote]

The one standing up in Green or the Bluer one sitting down behind that one???

I have a 9 carat Pale Blue Sapphire, that has an Inclusion that looks a bit like the area in the top left. The Main Bright "Crack" looking part.

:---[===] *

I thught I saw a Whale Tail but upon closer instection I realize it was just a Fluke

[quote="theMightyZoltran"]Anyone else see the mermaid? Blue figure just left of the cluster.[/quote]

And Flounder is right above her head :D

[quote="Chris Peterson"][quote="Ron-Astro Pharmacist"]Is there a theory why the elements congregate together?[/quote]
In some cases, the elements actually are together as a consequence of when they were ejected (in all types of star death, elements tend to be ordered by depth in the progenitor star). But in many cases, the elements aren't as segregated as images like this make them appear. Elements ionize under different conditions, and that varies with the distance from energetic stars. You can have different elements mixed together, but only one showing significant ionization, meaning only one is apparent in visible light. That is often the case in nebulas like this.[/quote]

The thought that they form at a specific time and place prior to a super nova hadn't crossed my mind. Pretty amazing that the sulfur shell would "vaporize" then remain somewhat localized (in some cases.) Thanks Chris.

[quote="Ron-Astro Pharmacist"]Is there a theory why the elements congregate together?[/quote]
In some cases, the elements actually are together as a consequence of when they were ejected (in all types of star death, elements tend to be ordered by depth in the progenitor star). But in many cases, the elements aren't as segregated as images like this make them appear. Elements ionize under different conditions, and that varies with the distance from energetic stars. You can have different elements mixed together, but only one showing significant ionization, meaning only one is apparent in visible light. That is often the case in nebulas like this.

Is there a theory why the elements congregate together?

I love the way these static images reveal the dynamic nature of the universe.

[quote="Chris Peterson"]A CCD is vastly superior to film in every respect[/quote]I remember learning to push Tri-X pan to ISO 2000, so I could take non-flash images at swim-meets and concerts. The results were always grainy. Nowdays getting such flashless shots in low light is [i]trivial[/i] with camera ISO numbers easily going past 8000.

A beautiful "image" and much care and time involved.

[quote="geckzilla"][quote="Chris Peterson"]A CCD is vastly superior to film in every respect . . .[/quote]
Except for the hipster respect.[/quote]
Fine with me if people want to admire film while listening to vinyl records. Helps keep the crazies off the streets.

Anyone else see the mermaid? Blue figure just left of the cluster.

[quote="Chris Peterson"]A CCD is vastly superior to film in every respect . . .[/quote]
Except for the hipster respect.

[quote="Joules"]Compares favorably to the 60's vintage photo of the Rosette nebula taken with Palomar's 48-inch Schmidt telescope: [url]http://palomarskies.blogspot.com/2010/05/astrophoto-friday-rosette-nebula.html[/url]

This is from the 16 incher? Wow!
[url]http://www.astrodonimaging.com/observatories/[/url][/quote]
Keep in mind that beyond an aperture of about 12", there is little or no improvement in resolution for ground based telescopes, particularly with wide angle images where adaptive optics can't be used. The only thing aperture gains is reduced exposure time.

Modern images are so much better than the older ones because of electronic imaging. A CCD is vastly superior to film in every respect, and of course, today we have the ability to digitally process the images we collect.

[quote="Joules"]Compares favorably to the 60's vintage photo of the Rosette nebula taken with Palomar's 48-inch Schmidt telescope: [url]http://palomarskies.blogspot.com/2010/05/astrophoto-friday-rosette-nebula.html[/url]

This is from the 16 incher? Wow!
[url]http://www.astrodonimaging.com/observatories/[/url][/quote]
He used to have a 16 inch in a northern observatory. Since last year, he has been imaging with a 20 inch in his southern remote observatory.

Really amazing and very inspiring.

Compares favorably to the 60's vintage photo of the Rosette nebula taken with Palomar's 48-inch Schmidt telescope: [url]http://palomarskies.blogspot.com/2010/05/astrophoto-friday-rosette-nebula.html[/url]

This is from the 16 incher? Wow!
[url]http://www.astrodonimaging.com/observatories/[/url]

Always wondrous to look into the heart of a nebula. Lots of detail. Filaments, bow shock, looking things (though I don't think that is what they actually are), globs...like looking into a deep pool of water in a cavern, with waves moving across it....

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[url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140311.html][img]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_140311.jpg[/img] [size=150]In the Heart of the Rosette Nebula[/size][/url]

[b] Explanation: [/b] In the heart of the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120214.html]Rosette Nebula[/url] lies a bright [url=http://www.seds.org/messier/open.html]open cluster[/url] of stars that lights up the nebula. The stars of [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ4n2HjppWo]NGC 2244[/url] formed from the surrounding gas only a few million years ago. The [url=http://astrodonimaging.com/gallery/display.cfm?imgID=273]above image[/url] taken in January using multiple exposures and very specific colors of [url=http://periodic.lanl.gov/16.shtml]Sulfur[/url] (shaded red), [url=http://periodic.lanl.gov/1.shtml]Hydrogen[/url] (green), and [url=http://periodic.lanl.gov/8.shtml]Oxygen[/url] (blue), captures the central region in tremendous detail. A hot [url=http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wsolwind.html]wind[/url] of particles streams away from the cluster stars and contributes to an already complex menagerie of gas and [url=http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Mathis/Mathis1.html]dust[/url] filaments while slowly evacuating the cluster center. The [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010214.html]Rosette Nebula[/url]'s center measures about 50 [url=http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html]light-years[/url] across, lies about 4,500 light-years away, and is visible with binoculars towards the constellation of the Unicorn ([url=http://www.astronomical.org/constellations/mon.html]Monoceros[/url]).

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