'Enterprise' Nebulae Seen by Spitzer

Today being the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, NASA released this infrared photo of two nebulae, IRAS 19340+2016 and IRAS19343+2026. Our fellow Trekkies in NASA explain:

On the right of the image, with a little scrutiny, you may see hints of the saucer and hull of the original USS Enterprise, captained by James T. Kirk, as if it were emerging from a dark nebula. To the left, its "Next Generation" successor, Jean-Luc Picard's Enterprise-D, flies off in the opposite direction.

Astronomically speaking, the region pictured in the image falls within the disk of our Milky Way galaxy and displays two regions of star formation hidden behind a haze of dust when viewed in visible light. Spitzer's ability to peer deeper into dust clouds has revealed a myriad of stellar birthplaces like these, which are officially known only by their catalog numbers, IRAS 19340+2016 and IRAS19343+2026.

Trekkies, however, may prefer using the more familiar designations NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-D. Fifty years after its inception, Star Trek still inspires fans and astronomers alike to boldly explore where no one has gone before.

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a reply to: Phantom traveller

And as always, the D class vessel looks more like a functional spacecraft than its aged, but iconic counterpart.

Picard all the way!

a reply to: Phantom traveller

The correct term is Trekker.

a reply to: TrueBrit

It was bigger and had better weapons, but i like Kirk more.

a reply to: 123143

Nope. Trekkie was first used in the 60's and it was the term Roddenberry was using.

According to the movie Trekkies 2, Gene Roddenberry once stated at a convention that, "It's Trekkies. I should know. I invented it."

memory-alpha.wikia.com...

a reply to: Phantom traveller

It was never the size or armaments that made it the better ship. It just had better ergonomics and dynamic design, not to mention vastly superior handling and capabilities in the scientific realm. Further to that, it's command staff were nothing short of the perfect example of stoicism. Run like an engine so smooth you could place a penny, on its edge, atop its cylinders and never have to worry about it falling over.

False propaganda to create the axiom in your mind that the the earth is a sphere and isn't the center of the universe.

a reply to: Darkmadness

It is a sphere. And hell, we are not even at the centre of this galaxy, let alone anything else of importance. Were we closer to the galactic core, our space would be a busier, hotter, less hospitable place to live in.

Think yourself lucky that we are not anywhere other than where we are, that our station is not more central to our local group. Busy space is dangerous space, and we are on the edge of our luck as it is!

a reply to: TrueBrit

We are not lucky we are god's chosen.

This propaganda has clearly gotten to you my British friend. I wish you would liberate your mind from the reptilian brainwashing that's being force fed to you by the television and the evil Nazi war criminal space agency otherwise known as NASA.

Awesome, I actually can see the resemblance without the lines! Anyone other than Trekkies might see something else, though, you know the argument's coming, lol.

originally posted by: Darkmadness
a reply to: TrueBrit

We are not lucky we are god's chosen.

This propaganda has clearly gotten to you my British friend. I wish you would liberate your mind from the reptilian brainwashing that's being force fed to you by the television and the evil Nazi war criminal space agency otherwise known as NASA.

Either bat guano crazy, or a poor attempt at trolling. Either way, take it out back where nobody cares, buddy.

a reply to: Nyiah

Clever attempt at character assassination in order to misguide those susceptible to the tricks of the devil.

a reply to: Darkmadness

Ah.

So, you have been fooled by your zealots into believing that understanding science is mutually exclusive to belief in Christ.

Well, until you show me the word of Christ himself, which states categorically that a Christian man must also be a moron, I will go about my faith with the certainty that God created this universe in a complex fashion, rather than as a three year old might paint upon a canvas.

A word to the wise. It does no honour to God to believe that he is as much of a simpleton as you may be.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Science is simply the search for Christ with the belief that mans intelligence is superior to that of the universe.

Thinking that you are intelligent enough to understand god's creation is an aberration and blasphemy before god.

How dare you good sir!

a reply to: Darkmadness

I am not wise enough to understand it, but to remain utterly ignorant of its existence and form to the point where I believe the world I am standing on to be flat, and to be suspended in the centre of it despite every evidence to the contrary, would be to believe a flat out lie sir. The father of those is a tricksy beast, and has lead many a person astray.

For example, even if I knew four hundred times what any man knows of the cosmos, I could not say I understood it. What I can say for certain, is that what is known is the shape and content of the universe within certain tolerances, and our place is not in its core in the least.

Now, if you seriously believe in Christ, you should be able to resolve your issues with science, by simply saying thusly, that Christ is your Lord and Saviour, that He is the son of God, and that God created the universe we are in, and that nonetheless, E does indeed equal mc2. That both things, are actually true. One of them is true because we believe it to be so, and the other is true because we can see that it is so. Neither one is mutually exclusive to the other.

Now, of course, if your indoctrination is stronger than your faith, by all means continue to make a fool of yourself. If however you have a faith worth speaking of, you might benefit from getting your brain out of the dark ages, so that you can shine some light in this world while actually understanding what a photon is and how it behaves.

originally posted by: Phantom traveller
a reply to: TrueBrit

It was bigger and had better weapons, but i like Kirk more.

And it didn't have Wesley Crusher! The kid ruined everything. lol.

I get the JPL Day in Review newsletter and that was featured yesterday.

Way cool, also the Ant, Stingray and Hourglass nebulae.

a reply to: Darkmadness

We are not lucky we are god's chosen.

Which one? There are over 4000 gods worshiped at the moment by humans.