Posted 08.18.2010 at 5:25 pm
9 Comments
IRAS 05437+2502
NASA, ESA, Hubble, R. Sahai (JPL)
This spooky image of a tiny nebula known as IRAS 05437+2502 was recently released by the Hubble Space Telescope, but perhaps even more eerie than the wispy, ghost-like appearance of the little-studied star forming region is the boomerang-like light crowning the nebula. Though the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) first discovered the nebula in 1983, astronomers have no clue what is lighting up this glowing object.
Captured by the Wide Field Channel of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, the image actually contains a relatively narrow field of view as the nebula itself isn’t very big. Not much is known about it outside of the fact that it’s in the constellation Taurus and it wears a mysterious glowing hat atop its head. One hypothesis suggests a massive star that since accelerated to a high velocity and departed the nebula spawned the glowing matter long ago, though there’s no evidence to speak of to confirm or deny that theory.
The air of mystery surrounding such a stunning image is all right by us. Get a higher-res image for your desktop here.
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extreme low res photo, but it could be a burn pattern, probably not fusion, but a very volatile gas?
new theory, looked at it a little longer and it looks like a really strong light source (bright star?) is just above and behind the corner and it is illuminating the not only that edge but that whole side of the nebula (that area seems to be illuminated by one outside source), if true that means the clouds that are blocking the light source is incredibly thick
HOW WEIRD! it doesnt have that polarized look to it like the other stars do either. unless its like two GRB's?
Its the Nexis! lol it could be some sort of flouresent space dust. Who knows?
To me it looks like a star that is passing through the nebula. The boomerang shape reminds me of a jet braking the sound barrier.
obviously the other end of a black hole. the light has to exit somewhere, and all the atomized(or further dissassembled) matter that is recombining, reacting, reformulating, reassembling.. anyway, light and matter, emitted from the ass-end of a black hole. if a black hole shat out some matter, i would expect it to have fused into heavier radioactive elements somewhere along the way to the back hole of the black hole. hence the glowing.. just a theory. on the other hand, it shore iz purdy.
Seriously no one else see something in the photo? Under the arch something that just looks like something that it is not possible to look like. Directly under the arch, three lit figures. There is something very freaky about this nebula indeed!
the ARCH; its a black hole.(Or something.) That is what makes it glow, (I think.) And hubble? WOW that thing is old.
It is weird and magnicifent and creepy and cool though.