APOD: NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet (2019 Feb 16)

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APOD Robot
Otto Posterman
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APOD: NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet (2019 Feb 16)

Post by APOD Robot » Sat Feb 16, 2019 5:10 am

[img]https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_190216.jpg[/img] NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet

Explanation: NGC 2359 is a helmet-shaped cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages popularly called Thor's Helmet. Heroically sized even for a Norse god, Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across. In fact, the helmet is more like an interstellar bubble, blown as a fast wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center inflates a region within the surrounding molecular cloud. Known as a Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution. NGC 2359 is located about 15,000 light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. The remarkably detailed image is a mixed cocktail of data from broadband and narrowband filters that captures natural looking stars and the glow of the nebula's filamentary structures. It highlights a blue-green color from strong emission due to oxygen atoms in the glowing gas.

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MikeHerman

Re: APOD: NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet (2019 Feb 16)

Post by MikeHerman » Sat Feb 16, 2019 5:17 am

This image looks much more like a dog or bear. You can see two eyes, ears, a snout, and front & back legs.

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Ann
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Re: APOD: NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet (2019 Feb 16)

Post by Ann » Sat Feb 16, 2019 7:50 am

Off topic:

When I was young and moved into my first apartment, I bought dark blue curtains set with dots of blue, green, purple and turquoise. I liked the curtains at first, but soon the turquoise parts of them were getting on my nerves, and soon I felt that I had to get new curtains, or I would go crazy. My new curtains, which I still use all the time, are off-white, mildly rose-pink, and blue. Kind of like the colors of a spiral galaxy when you think of it.

When I saw the turquoise and orange colors of today's APOD, I shied away like a frightened horse. So I'll leave it to the rest of you to discuss it!

Random person: Ann, there is a snake over there.

Ann: Okay.

Random person: It's a turquoise snake. With orange eyes!

Ann: GAAAAHHHH!!!!
Ann
Last edited by Ann on Sat Feb 16, 2019 8:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Boomer12k
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Re: APOD: NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet (2019 Feb 16)

Post by Boomer12k » Sat Feb 16, 2019 8:13 am

This APOD of it looks to me like the Egyptian Bull God...because of the "disc" between the horns...and the red "eye like" star...
take a look - see....
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... coffin.jpg

Maybe we should rename it...
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orin stepanek
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Re: APOD: NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet (2019 Feb 16)

Post by orin stepanek » Sat Feb 16, 2019 12:21 pm

I like it! You can make out a face like image wearing the Helmet! I think Thor's Helmet fits NGC 2359 perfectly! 8-) He's gpt a big nose; but nobody's perfect. :lol2:
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

sillyworm 2

Re: APOD: NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet (2019 Feb 16)

Post by sillyworm 2 » Sat Feb 16, 2019 1:18 pm

Ann I thought you'd be all over this apod with all the colorful stars!

bob

Re: APOD: NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet (2019 Feb 16)

Post by bob » Sat Feb 16, 2019 8:45 pm

Try looking at the photo in 3-d (red/green) glasses. You get a real sense of some filaments closer than others.