Astronomers Get First Glimpse of New Stars

[zengrifter]

Image from the Hubble Space Telescope released by NASA December 1, 2005 shows the most detailed view so far of the entire Crab Nebula ever made. zg


Astronomers Get First Glimpse of New Stars

Tue Dec 27, 7:22 PM ET

AP - TUCSON, Ariz. - Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered a perfectly decorated Christmas tree 2,500 light years from earth. Scientists at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory said the remarkable star cluster gives them the first glimpse of newborn stars acting just as predicted - patterned geometrically and spaced according to density, temperature and gravity.

... continued here - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051228/...NlYwN5bmNhdA--

[Mikeaber]

ZG, are you sure that's the Crab? It sure looks like the Eagle nebulae to me. The Crab, you can see through a telescope but the Eagle, you have to view photographically. But then, the "eagle" seen in the center of the photo that appears upside-down, may be a feature of the Crab that hasn't been seen before...at least not by me.

[zengrifter]

You're right , its the Eagle Nebula. You know your sh*t. zg

[Mikeaber]

Originally Posted by zengrifter

You're right , its the Eagle Nebula. You know your sh*t. zg

Didn't mean to be a smart A$$. I used to grind my own mirrors and make telescopes. The Crab is the remnants of a super-nova I think, that occurred back in 71 AD. It's appears as a small blur in the constellation Tarus. Nothing spectacular visually. But it takes on shape when photographed. But to think of "new stars" forming in that nebula after such a short period of time (relatively speaking of course!)

If you are interested, there is another "spawning ground" for stars that is visable without optical aid. It's in the constellation Orion (a winter constellation and one well suited for viewing right now!) If you look at the middle 'star' in the sword of Orion, you'll easily be able to see it. It looks like a blurry star but is in reality a huge nebula. Look at it through binoculars and it might take on a greenish tint. Thru a small telescope, you can see that it is definitely a gas cloud. Through a larger scope and under moderately powered eyepieces, you can see an asterism called the Trapisium made up of 5 "new" stars formed since the gas cloud was formed.