Sharpest ever view of Orion Nebula

Looks like a pastel painting with delicate colors !

Few cosmic vistas excite the imagination like the Orion Nebula. Also known as M42, the nebula's glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1,500 light-years away.

The Orion Nebula offers one of the best opportunities to study how stars are born partly because it is the nearest large star-forming region, but also because the nebula's energetic stars have blown away obscuring gas and dust clouds that would otherwise block our view - providing an intimate look at a range of ongoing stages of starbirth and evolution.

This detailed image of the Orion Nebula is the sharpest ever, constructed using data from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys and the European Southern Observatory's La Silla 2.2 meter telescope. The mosaic contains a billion pixels at full resolution and reveals about 3,000 stars.

Source: APOD

reply to post by elevenaugust


Beautifull, isn't it? I first saw that photo as a young lad. It's simply marvellous.
Apparently the Orion war was about this nebula...

Would it be weird if I said that there is some sort of sexual element in this nebula? At least from my perspective.

As a little earthling I am confused. Is this some how out of our realm? Godly even?



For every picture of the stars a thousand people tear at night wondering what life is actually about.




S&F

Awe inspiring. We really are just a small speck on this grand chessboard..

Originally posted by swan001
reply to post by elevenaugust

 

Beautifull, isn't it? I first saw that photo as a young lad. It's simply marvellous.
Apparently the Orion war was about this nebula...

what do you mean....




space war? or some religious fanatics fighting over it?

Simply stunning vista!

Aye it does look beautiful in all that heavenly glory.

Here's a 4meg 4000x4000 version of the image, much better detail.

Hard to imagine that exists up there in the darkness we call space.. beautiful..

www.spacetelescope.org...

reply to post by elevenaugust


That is fascinating. I always see those gassy clouds and wonder what the universe smells like. Does it smell like the air after a fireworks show ? Is there a smell ?

reply to post by elevenaugust


You have to wonder if this was a piece of artwork for those with the means to enjoy it.

reply to post by elevenaugust


Pretty!!!

I love Nebula!

I wouldn't mind having a print of this framed and in my living room

reply to post by elevenaugust


Maybe it is?

reply to post by elevenaugust


I have APOD book marked, it's the second page I view every morning after I scan ATS. Saved this picture to my screen saver photos folder.

It's simply brilliant.

constructed using data from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys

So this isnt a single shot but a composition put together by an artist.

Ive seen a documentary on how NASA makes these images. Its lots of pictures taken at different wavelengths that are then given to an artist who then colors them and put the twinkles on a few of the starts to make it look pretty.

Click on the Apod site, when the picture appears, click on it. It then loads the original, large image.

In your picture viewer, zoom in exactly there in the center, where it's brightest/white.

There is an UFO. Don't believe me? Look for yourself

looks weird to be just some dirt on the lens, no?

That looks very beautiful and totally does look like a painting.

It's absolutely gorgeous. The Orion and the Carina Nebulas are my two favorites.

Originally posted by tulahen
looks weird to be just some dirt on the lens, no?

I have to admit, while I'm not screaming "Aliens!!", this has me intrigued.

Here's a better res close-up from the large TIFF image HERE....



It looks like it is reflecting light off a star directly behind it, almost as if the light is wrapping itself around a cylinder as it passes by.