Wisps Surrounding the Horsehead Nebula

Perhaps you’ve seen other pictures of the Horsehead Nebula, which you can find just below the center.  But, a wide view shot of the surrounding area reveals an intricate tapestry of gaseous wisps and dust, which have been molded into these shapes, over eons, by stellar winds and suprnovas.  This enormous cloud, including the Horsehead nebula, can be found in Orion’s Belt.

Vela Supernova Remnant

The explosion that left this bubbly mess, occured 11,000 years ago.  The explosion created a strange point of light, that was visible to humans living near the beginning of recorded history.  In the center of this remnant you will see a pulsar.  This star is as dense as nuclear matter and can completely rotate more than 10x in a single second.

The Rosette Nebula 

Had this marvelous creation been given a different name, I don’t think it would look as sweet.  Within this flowery nebula lies an open cluster of infant stars.  The ultrviolet light from these beaming, young, hot stars is what causes the surrounding nubula to glow.

The Carina Nebula

This Tyedye Nebula, as I have dubbed it, is located in one of the brightest parts of our Milky Way galaxy.  Carina Nebula is home to massive stars.  The Eta Carinae, which is the most energetic star in the cloud, used to be one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830’s, but then mysteriously faded dramatically.

Double Supernova Remnants

       The flapping butterfly displaying its Lakers pride, is actually two different supernovas.  Their remnants are colliding with each other.  It’s not an actual butterfly in the sky, but its just as beautiful.  This galactic insect is 160,000 light years away and 140 light years across.

I hope you all enjoyed viewing these pictures as much as I do.  Stay tuned for my newest article, due out in the near future.  I promise it’ll be just as captivating, if not more.