Starship Asterisk*

apodman wrote:Okay, I give up on trying to understand the kitty connection.

All I saw was a big astronomy t-shirt hanging over that house.

• The kitty Cy connection:
  
  Tiny Kitten resembles giant Superbubble (resembles Rigelans Kang & Kodos).

BMAONE23 wrote:This APOD reminds me of a starry night.

apodman wrote:

BMAONE23 wrote:This APOD reminds me of a starry night.

So Van Gogh's purported myopia was really time-exposure retinas.

• [Finnegans Wake 272.4] Willed without witting, whorled without aimed.
  
  [Finnegans Wake 582.20] whirled without end to end.
  
  [Finnegans Wake 111.8] at the hour of klokking twelve looked for all this zogzag world
  like a goodishsized sheet of letterpaper originating by transhipt from Boston (Mass.)

Case wrote:I tried to identify the nebulosities in the image, mostly as an exercise for myself.
Did I get ’em right? Did I miss some that do have a name?

http://canopus.physik.uni-potsdam.de/~axm/photo.cgi?Image=images/Eridanus_Bubble_Halpha_600 wrote:
<<The Eridanus Bubble is a 25° area of interlocking arcs of Hα-emitting filaments, driven by stellar winds and supernovae. Its age is estimated as 5-6 million years. It is much fainter than its more prominent eastern neighbor, Barnard's loop.>>

http://www.astronomy-mall.com/Adventures.In.Deep.Space/sh2276.htm wrote:
<<How many amateurs are aware that Barnard's Loop has an optical counterpart that lies about 28 degrees west of Sh2-276? One theory concerning this western arc (the optical nebula associated with the "Ori-Eri Bubble") is the western arc expanded at a greater rate than the eastern arc (the Loop) due to the absence of interstellar matter -- Barnard's Loop being slowed in expansion by colliding with interstellar material. The Eridanus arc was catalogued by Sharpless as Sh2-245 and Lynds noted it as LBN 835 and 836. I found this arc to be a surprisingly easy target in my 18" at 58X (40 mm Pentax eyepiece) with an [OIII] filter with a true field a bit over one degree. This arc appeared as a nicely contrasting "stain" about one degree long and 15 arc minutes wide running north to south. I didn't take the time to explore beyond this area although it is possible many more parts of the Eridanus Bubble are visible -- the dimensions of Sh2-245 are 30 by 600 arc minutes!>>

neufer wrote:The only notable 'miss' IMO is the big fishhook in the Eridanus.
Sharpless 2-245

Case wrote:

neufer wrote:The only notable 'miss' IMO is the big fishhook in the Eridanus.
Sharpless 2-245

Thank you for putting a name to the big one.

http://galaxymap.org/drupal/node/79 wrote: .
<<Orion the hunter has morphed into a halloween ghoul in this hydrogen-alpha image, with two huge glowing eyes, a gaping mouth and thousands of almost anatomical filaments.
.
Orion is the largest star formation region in the Gould Belt, the local ring of bright stars. Because the Gould Belt is tilted at an angle of about 15°, Orion is located well below the galactic plane. (Scorpius OB2, on the opposite side of the Gould Belt, is located well above the galactic plane for the same reason.)
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The larger of Orion's two glowing "eyes" surrounds the Orion OB1 association, a group of bright stars lying at a distance of about 500 parsecs that forms the belt in the constellation of Orion. The three stars most visible in Orion's belt, Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak, are perhaps the most prominent and best known O and bright B-class stars in the entire night sky.
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The larger of the two nebulae at the centre of Orion OB1 in this image is the Flame nebula (Sh 2-277), which surrounds and is ionised by the O9.5Ib star Alnitak. The other nebula in Orion OB1 is by far the better known, however. This is the Orion nebula (M42, Sh 2-281), ionised by the Trapezium, a multiple star surrounded by a large cluster. Associated with the Orion nebula is the dimmer nebula Sh 2-279. Both the Orion and Flame nebula are visible through a gap between the Orion A and Orion B molecular clouds. Nearby is the high latitude molecular cloud MBM 110 (Sh 2-278). Surrounding the entire Orion OB1 complex is Barnard's Loop (Sh 2-276). You can see an astonishing image of most of the Barnard's Loop region here.
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The smaller of Orion's two glowing "eyes" is the Lambda Orionis nebula (Sh 2-264), an HII region ionised by the O8 III subgiant star Lambda Orionis, and to a lesser extent, the 11 B stars near to it. The region around Lambda Orionis is dominated by a ring of molecular clouds whose structure can perhaps best be explained by a supernova very close to the star about 1 million years ago.
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Orion OB1 and the Lambda Orionis region are only small parts of a much larger region called the Orion-Eridanus bubble. The outlines of this bubble, created by stellar winds and exploding supernova over millions of years, can be seen in the thousands of filaments of glowing gas in this hydrogen-alpha image. The close edge of the bubble is only a bit over 150 parsecs from our solar system. Nebula associated with the Orion-Eridanus bubble include Sh 2-263, at 450 parsecs and ionised by the B0 star HD 34989, Sh 2-265 at 400 parsecs, and a prominent and huge nebular ridge near the front edge of the bubble at 210 parsecs, Sh 2-245.
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Some nebulae appear to be embedded in the Taurus dark cloud which lies in front of the Orion-Eridanus bubble at 140 parsecs. These include the reflection nebula or a Herbig-Haro object Sh 2-239 and Hind's nebula (NGC 1555, Sh 2-238), a Herbig-Haro object associated with the young star T Tauri. The distances to the filamentary nebulae Sh 2-260 and Sh 2-251 are unknown but they, too, appear to lie in the general direction of the Taurus dark cloud.
.
Other nebulae visible in this image actually lie behind the Orion-Eridanus bubble in the outer galaxy. These include Sh 2-262 at 900 parsecs, Sh 2-246 at 3700 parsecs, and Sh 2-289, which appears to lie at a very distant 10100 parsecs. Also visible at the top right of this image is the famous Crab nebula supernova remnant (M1, Sh 2-244), which lies at a distance of 1930 parsecs.>>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jar_Jar_Binks wrote:
<<Jar Jar Binks is a fictional character from the Star Wars films The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. His primary role was intended to provide comic relief. Jar Jar was voiced by Ahmed Best. He is almost completely computer generated. He is a Gungan from the planet Naboo.
.
. Episode I
.
Banished from his childhood home of Gungan City for his clumsiness, the naïve Jar Jar is first encountered while living in the swamps of Naboo. In the events of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi arrive on Naboo, ending up in the swamps rather than the intended destination of the capital, Theed.
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Qui-Gon Jinn saves Jar Jar's life as the Trade Federation's droid army advances on Theed, and, as a result, Jar Jar explains that he owes Qui-Gon a life debt (implying that he is obligated to stay by Qui-Gon's side for the rest of his life, or until he is released). Jar Jar is later arrested by troops loyal to Boss Nass when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan visit Otoh Gunga, and Qui-Gon uses the excuse of this life debt to free Jar Jar from the custody of the Gungan Bosses.
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Jar Jar travels with Qui-Gon's party to Tatooine and later Coruscant. It is on the latter planet that he informs Padmé Amidala that the Gungans have a grand army (a term significant later in the Star Wars series - see Grand Army of the Republic), a contributory factor in her decision to return to Naboo and contest the Trade Federation's invasion militarily. After Qui-Gon and his party's return to Naboo, Jar Jar is instrumental in Padmé's brokering a deal with the Gungans for a joint attack on the Trade Federation's occupation forces, leading her and her allies to the Gungans' swamp hiding place. Throughout this ordeal, he befriends Anakin Skywalker, a nine-year-old human whom Qui-Gon believes to be the Chosen One destined to bring balance to the Force. As a result of bringing together the Naboo and the Gungans, Jar Jar reconciles with Boss Nass and is awarded the rank of Bombad General in the Gungan Grand Army. Jar Jar plays a role in the Battle of Naboo.
.
Many fans claim that Jar Jar is intended to provide comic relief throughout the film, including a number of battle scenes. For instance, Jar Jar accidentally sends a cart of explosive energy spheres into a group of enemy battle droids, which destroys a large number of them.
.
. Episode II
.
Although he has much less screen time in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Jar Jar plays a pivotal role in the narrative. As Representative Binks, he is a member of The Loyalist Committee. He is deputized by Padmé Amidala in the Galactic Senate, and subsequently manipulated by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and his allies into proposing a bill to give Palpatine emergency powers, on the ostensible grounds that this is what Senator Amidala would do if she were present. These powers enable Palpatine to approve the creation of the Grand Army of the Republic and implicitly mark the beginning of Palpatine's gathering of authority towards his own office. Jar Jar's decision sets in motion the Clone Wars and by extension, the creation of the Galactic Empire.
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. Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series
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Ahmed Best reprised his role as Jar Jar in episode 8 ("Bombad Jedi") of Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series of 2008. The episode shows Jar Jar and C3PO accompanying Padmé Amidala on a diplomatic mission to the planet of Rodia in an attempt to gain the support of the Rodians and sway them from the Separatists. Jar Jar puts on a found Jedi cloak which causes the Separatists to believe he's a Jedi. Jar Jar's use of the knowledge of the swamp gave him the ability to communicate with a sea-monster which helped the Republic to prevail in their task. Also, he is in a few other episodes, though his voice is provided by BJ Hughes in those episodes.
.
. Episode III
.
In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Jar Jar only has a cameo appearance, appearing onscreen three times. He is seen with a group of Senators following the Battle of Coruscant, with Padme and Bail Organa as Palpatine declares himself the Emperor, and at Padmé's funeral procession at the end of the film. He has no dialogue except for the phrase "excuse me", heard from a distance. Deleted scenes from the film, available on the DVD, portray him as a member of the Delegation of 2000, a Senatorial committee that later develops into the Rebel Alliance.
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. Controversy
.
Upon the release of The Phantom Menace, Jar Jar Binks became the subject of a great deal of media and popular attention, though not in the way his creators intended. Binks became symbolic of what many reviewers such as Brent Staples (New York Times), David Edelstein (Slate), and Eric Harrison (Los Angeles Times) considered to be inherent creative flaws of the film. The character was widely rejected and often ridiculed by sections of the series' hardcore fanbase, who felt that Jar Jar was clearly included in the film solely to appeal to children. One fan, Mike J. Nichols, created and distributed free of charge a modified version of the film, entitled The Phantom Edit, which cut out most scenes featuring Jar Jar Binks. The character of Jar Jar Binks was also lampooned on an episode of the television show South Park entitled Jakovasaurs as well as the parody Star Wars episodes of Robot Chicken. Both instances, Best reprised the role in voice-over form. Jar Jar was even presented as evidence of "Unintelligent design" in the book The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.>>

BMAONE23 wrote:Neuf, Great Job finding JarJar in that mess. Unfortunately now I can't unsee him.

neufer wrote:

BMAONE23 wrote:Neuf, Great Job finding JarJar in that mess. Unfortunately now I can't unsee him.

Dats da last ting meesa wantin!

orin stepanek wrote:The Star Wars films were great entertainment. I wish the last trilogy could have been made.

BMAONE23 wrote:Perhaps when Luke, Leia, and han are i their 70's and 80's say another 15 years or so to give the old actors time to get old

neufer wrote: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090411.html
http://unusuallife.com/2006/12/30/cyclops-kitty/


HOLOPROSENCEPHALY

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/01/ ... 30663.html

aristarchusinexile wrote:Not as cute as Leah on Futurama.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turangal%C3%AEla-Symphonie wrote:
<<The Turangalîla-Symphonie is a large-scale piece of orchestral music by Olivier Messiaen. It was written on a commission by Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Koussevitzky was billed to conduct the December 2, 1949 premiere but fell ill and the task was given to the young Leonard Bernstein. The title of the work, and those of its movements, were a late addition to the project. They were first described by Messiaen in a diary entry in early 1948. He derived the title from two Sanskrit words, turanga and lîla, which roughly translate into English as
"love song and hymn of joy, time, movement, rhythm, life, and death".>>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turanga_Leela wrote:
<<Turanga Leela is a fictional character in the animated television series Futurama, voiced by Katey Sagal. Leela is captain of the Planet Express Ship and is the primary love interest of one of the series' main male protagonists, Philip J. Fry. She is originally believed to be a cyclopean alien, but in "Leela's Homeworld" she discovers that she is actually a sewer mutant. Originally a career placement officer for new defrostees at a cryogenics lab in the year 2999, Leela quit her job after meeting Philip J. Fry, a defrostee from 1999, and Bender, a job-deserting bending robot. Together they are employed as the crew for Planet Express, an intergalactic delivery business run by Hubert J. Farnsworth. Leela serves as captain of the Planet Express Ship, proving herself to be a skilled officer and often rescuing her less-talented coworkers from peril. An early file Groening compiled on Leela lists some of her intended qualities: "strong-willed, opinionated, gentle (when not fighting), gives orders, unlucky in love, loves weapons, loves animals." Katey Sagal describes her as a "tough, strong career girl who just can't get it together in the rest of her life...she's vulnerable and hard at the same time." A committed environmentalist and lover of animals, Leela defies Brannigan's orders in order to save Nibbler from a collapsing planet and adopts him as a pet; later in the series Nibbler reveals himself to be a member of an ancient race of wise, sophisticated beings known as the Nibblonians.>>

neufer wrote:
<<Turanga Leela is a fictional character in the animated television series Futurama, voiced by Katey Sagal. Leela is captain of the Planet Express Ship and is the primary love interest of one of the series' main male protagonists, Philip J. Fry. She is originally believed to be a cyclopean alien, but in "Leela's Homeworld" she discovers that she is actually a sewer mutant. Originally a career placement officer for new defrostees at a cryogenics lab in the year 2999, Leela quit her job after meeting Philip J. Fry, a defrostee from 1999, and Bender, a job-deserting bending robot. Together they are employed as the crew for Planet Express, an intergalactic delivery business run by Hubert J. Farnsworth. Leela serves as captain of the Planet Express Ship, proving herself to be a skilled officer and often rescuing her less-talented coworkers from peril. An early file Groening compiled on Leela lists some of her intended qualities: "strong-willed, opinionated, gentle (when not fighting), gives orders, unlucky in love, loves weapons, loves animals." Katey Sagal describes her as a "tough, strong career girl who just can't get it together in the rest of her life...she's vulnerable and hard at the same time." A committed environmentalist and lover of animals, Leela defies Brannigan's orders in order to save Nibbler from a collapsing planet and adopts him as a pet; later in the series Nibbler reveals himself to be a member of an ancient race of wise, sophisticated beings known as the Nibblonians.>>

aristarchusinexile wrote:Thanks Art. You may have saved me the distress which might have happened if I had uttered "Oh Leah" instead of "Oh Leela". But that probably wouldn't happen anyway, as Leela is a lover of animals, and I'm pet allergic. Shot down again .. and by a girl with a gun. The other information was also well appreciated.

• Ah! Leah! - Donnie Iris
  
  Ah! Leah! Here we go again!
  Ah! Leah! Is it ever gonna end?
  Ah! Leah! Here we go again!
  Ah! Leah! We ain't learned our lesson yet!

[color=#0000BF]aristarchusinexile (/ Zapp Brannigan??[/color]) wrote: Thanks Art. You may have saved me the distress which might have happened if I had uttered "Oh Leah" instead of "Oh Leela".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turanga_Leela wrote:
<<Leela has pity sex with the pompous, idiotic captain Zapp Brannigan in the episode "Love's Labours Lost in Space"; according to Groening, the episode marked a turning point in the series, as it showed that the writers could degrade the main heroine and still have viewers like the show. Throughout the series, Brannigan brags about his night with Leela and constantly tries to entice her into dates and romantic encounters, much to her disgust. Leela's romantic mishaps continue throughout the series, even as her friend Fry begins to take a serious interest in her. In the final movie, Leela confesses her love for Fry and the two kiss.>>