Ever get that 'alone' feeling? I have a feeling our knowledge about the Universe and it's workings could fit in a pin head. We have only just begun to understand. Have a peek at this short video and allow your mind to wander.
Hubble Ultra Deep Field 3D
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2010 October 31
Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula
Credit: Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri (Observatoire de Paris) et al., ESA, NASA Explanation: Halloween's origin is ancient and astronomical. Since the fifth century BC,
Halloween has been celebrated as a
cross-quarter day, a day halfway between an
equinox (equal day / equal night) and a
solstice (minimum day / maximum night in the northern hemisphere). With a
modern calendar, however, the real
cross-quarter day will occur next week. Another cross-quarter day is
Groundhog's Day. Halloween's modern celebration retains
historic roots in dressing to scare away the spirits of the dead. Perhaps a fitting tribute to this ancient holiday is this view of the
Ghost Head Nebula taken with the
Hubble Space Telescope. Similar to the icon of a
fictional ghost, NGC 2080 is actually a
star forming region in the
Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our own
Milky Way Galaxy. The Ghost Head Nebula spans about 50
light-years and is shown in representative colors.
Tomorrow's picture: peak of the furnace
< | Archive | Index | Search | Calendar | RSS | Education | About APOD | Discuss | >
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
No comments:
Post a Comment