'Cat's Eye Wide and Deep' (APOD 29 June 2007)

Andy Wade · Post by **Andy Wade** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 6:52 am

Hi Everyone,

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070629.html

Does anybody know what the brown curved feature above and to the left of the nebula is?
Is it a separate feature or actually part of the nebula?

smitty · Post by **smitty** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 11:28 am

Excellent question, Andy! And then there's the comet-shaped feature to the lower right of the boomerang-shaped feature you highlighted. Some interesting things going on in this photo! Like you, I have no answers, just questions.

Winde · Post by **Winde** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:05 pm

There is a definite hexagonal shape to the June 29 APOD. Can anyone tell me how or why this happened?

bystander · Post by **bystander** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 1:06 pm

I was wondering that myself. It looks like a bow shock wave, but what's the source? the cat's eye is in the wrong direction. Maybe the star in the upper left corner of your blowup.

As for the comet shape, I had missed that. Looks like that region of space may be busier than it looks.

rigelan · Post by **rigelan** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 1:34 pm

The comet shape looks to be the same color and consistancy as the rest of the nebula, I would venture to say it is part of it.

And if I had to make a guess, I think the boomerang shape is also part of it. But I'm not quite sure how that would work.

jimmysnyder · Post by **jimmysnyder** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 2:18 pm

Is it possible that the boomerang feature is a blob of dust being whipped at the edges by stellar wind that came from the star at the center of the cat's eye?

Starship Asterisk*

'Cat's Eye Wide and Deep' (APOD 29 June 2007)

'Cat's Eye Wide and Deep' (APOD 29 June 2007)

Cat's Eye nebula