The Lagoon Nebula featured as Nasa’s astronomy picture of the day was photographed by John Nemcik using various filters to capture the light emitted by the Hydrogen, Sulfur, and Oxygen. While photographed showing beautiful vibrant, eye-catching colors, the Nebula would appear naturally appear gray to human eye due to poor color sensitivity existing at low-light levels (spacetelescope.org). The Lagoon Nebula is home to the formation of new stars, as well as several other interesting phenomena such as Bok globules, and the hourglass nebula. It is these regions of the nebula that make it a continuous area of interest and study for astronomers.
Messier 8, nicknamed the Lagoon Nebula is an interstellar cloud located in Sagittarius, discovered by John Flamsteed in 1680. It is one of the few nebulae that can be seen by the naked eye. It was given its nickname by Agnes
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Clerke 1890 while writing the first edition of her book The System of the Stars, the name refers to the curving dark line of dust that cuts through the middle of the nebula dividing it in half ("M8, The Lagoon Nebula"). With its vast clouds of hydrogen gas slowly collapsing to form new stars, the Lagoon Nebula is estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000 lightyears away from earth and measure 110 lightyears across. The ultraviolet rays emitted by its newly formed stars are responsible for illuminating the surrounding clouds of gas in a distinctive red color (spacetelescope.org). Located within the Lagoon Nebula are several Bok Globules, small dark nebulae responsible for the formation of new stars. First discovered in the 1940s by Bart Bok, these globules are dark, dense regions of cosmic dust and gas from which star formation may occur. Bok theorized that the globules were similar to insect cocoons undergoing a gravitational collapse in that they protected new stars and star clusters from radiation while they were forming (Fraser). These dense dark clouds obscure almost all visible light and are some of the coldest known objects in the universe. These globules are so dark that they obscure nearly all visible light and need to be studied using radio and infrared techniques (Fraser). Despite this, Bok Globules remain a subject of intense research as they offer a glimpse at the formation of stars, and their structure and density remain largely a mystery. Located on the eastern side of the Lagoon Nebula is NGC 6530, a loose open star cluster that formed from the clouds of gas within the nebula.
Clusters like NGC 6530 were formed from the same cloud, and as a result have roughly the same age. This makes them of particular interest to astronomers. Because clusters are all formed from the same material, have roughly the same age, and distance from earth, variations in their brightness is only due to their mass ("Open Star Clusters"). This makes them particularly useful for studying stellar evolution. This cluster was first observed by Hodierna in 1654, and later found independently by Flamsteed in 1680 when he discovered the cluster was located within the Lagoon Nebula. Like most open star clusters, NGC 6530 is relatively young; having been formed less than 6 million years ago ("Young Stars Paint Spectacular Stellar Landscape"). It is known to consist of more than a hundred known bright stars, the light of which show very little reddening as a result of interstellar matter from the nebula, this is likely because the cluster is located just in front of the
nebula Located within the brightest part of the Lagoon Nebula, in a region where star formation is currently taking place is what is known as the “hourglass nebula.” Named for its distinct hourglass shape this feature was first discovered by John Herschel. The twisted, hourglass-like appearance of these clouds is likely caused by the difference in temperature from the hot surface and cold interior, combined with the pressure from starlight. The bright emissions coming from this region of the nebula are primarily caused by the formation of hot young stars, as well as Herschel 36.Recently, in 2006 ,the first Herbig-Haro objects were detected within the Hourglass. Simply put, Herbig-Haro objects are long tendrils that shoot out from the poles of stars that still have accretion disks. As a star forms from the collapsing clouds of hydrogen gas within the Lagoon Nebula, and begins to grow it slowly begins to form a spinning disk of gas and dust that surrounds it. The gravitational pull of the star causes this spinning disk to slowly spiral onto the star and escape as narrow strips of high-speed, heated gas that is expelled in opposite directions. The discovery of these Herbig-Haro objects has provided strong proof for astronomers theories about the formation of stars in Hydrogen rich areas. Since it’s discovery in 1680, the Lagoon Nebula, located in Sagittarius, and the many objects located within have continued to be an area of both interest and research for astronomers. It’s several Bok globules and star clusters offer a window into the formation of new stars and opportunity to study stellar evolution. While rather faint, it is one of the few nebulae that can be seen with the naked eye. The star cluster NGC 6530, located within the Nebula will be in a good place for observation in just a few months on June 21, 2016.
Waller, William H. The Milky Way: An Insider's Guide. Princeton, N.J: Princeton UP, 2013. 42+. Print.
Around the world, their are beautiful places called “the seven wonders of the natural world”. These sites are fantastic because of there fascinating views and the fact that they were naturally made, not by humans. One of these seven natural wonders of the natural world is the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The Great Barrier Reef was formed by corals growing on submerged islands. The sea level then continued to rise, “leading to more corals growing and forming.” (Zimmerman). The Great Barrier Reef is “a mosaic of 2,900 individual reefs” and can be “seen from space and is not only the world's largest coral reef system but also the largest structure
Nebula that was destroyed after it’s sun went supernova. Troubled by his findings, the priest
2, Alter Dinsmore, Cleminshaw H. Clarence, Philips G John. Pictorial Astronomy. United States: Sidney Feinberg, 1963.
Khaled Hosseini, author of A Thousand Splendid Suns, is indisputably a master narrator. His refreshingly distinctive style is rampant throughout the work, as he integrates diverse character perspectives as well as verb tenses to form a temperament of storytelling that is quite inimitably his own. In his novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, he explores the intertwining lives of two drastically different Afghani women, Lailia and Mariam, who come together in a surprising twist of fate during the Soviet takeover and Taliban rule. After returning to his native Afghanistan to observe the nation’s current state amidst decades of mayhem, Hosseini wrote the novel with a specific fiery emotion to communicate a chilling, yet historically accurate account of why his family was forced to flee the country years ago.
The Orion Nebula is one of the closest stellar regions to the Earth. Using parallax measurements, it has been estimated that this nebula is only 1,500 light years away. In addition, the Orion Nebula is a relatively young star cluster, with an approximate age of less than one million years. It has even been speculated that some of the younger stars within the cluster are only 300,000 years old.
Solar nebula is a rotating flattened disk of gas and dust in which the outer part of the disk became planets while the center bulge part became the sun. Its inner part is hot, which is heated by a young sun and due to the impact of the gas falling on the disk during its collapse. However, the outer part is cold and far below the freezing point of water. In the solar nebula, the process of condensation occurs after enough cooling of solar nebula and results in the formation into a disk. Condensation is a process of cooling the gas and its molecules stick together to form liquid or solid particles. Therefore, condensation is the change from gas to liquid. In this process, the gas must cool below a critical temperature. Accretion is the process in which the tiny condensed particles from the nebula begin to stick together to form bigger pieces. Solar nebular theory explains the formation of the solar system. In the solar nebula, tiny grains stuck together and created bigger grains that grew into clumps, possibly held together by electrical forces similar to those that make lint stick to your clothes. Subsequent collisions, if not too violent, allowed these smaller particles to grow into objects ranging in size from millimeters to kilometers. These larger objects are called planetesimals. As planetesimals moved within the disk and collide with one another, planets formed. Because astronomers have no direct way to observe how the Solar System formed, they rely heavily on computer simulations to study that remote time. Computer simulations try to solve Newton’s laws of motion for the complex mix of dust and gas that we believe made up the solar nebula. Merging of the planetesimals increased their mass and thus their gravitational attraction. That, in turn, helped them grow even more massive by drawing planetesimals into clumps or rings around the sun. The process of planets building undergoes consumption of most of the planetesimals. Some survived planetesimals form small moons, asteroids, and comets. The leftover Rocky planetesimals that remained between Jupiter and Mars were stirred by Jupiter’s gravitational force. Therefore, these Rocky planetesimals are unable to assemble into a planet. These planetesimals are known as asteroids. Formation of solar system is explained by solar nebular theory. A rotating flat disk with center bulge is the solar nebula. The outer part of the disk becomes planets and the center bulge becomes the sun.
By 1936, astronomers had realized that the hazy balls they sometimes saw in their telescopes, which looked like stars obscured by gas, were actually galaxies (Hibbison).
If the nebula is dense enough, certain regions of it will begin to gravitationally collapse after being disturbed. As it collapses the particles begin to move more rapidly, which on a molecular level is actually heat, and photons are emitted that drive off the remaining dust and gas. Once the cloud has collapsed enough to cause the core temperature to reach ten-million degrees Celsius, nuclear fusion starts in its core and this ball of gas and dust is now a star. It begins its life as a main sequence star and little does it know its entire life has already been predetermined.
A star begins as nothing more than a very light distribution of interstellar gases and dust particles over a distance of a few dozen lightyears. Although there is extremely low pressure existing between stars, this distribution of gas exists instead of a true vacuum. If the density of gas becomes larger than .1 particles per cubic centimeter, the interstellar gas grows unstable. Any small deviation in density, and because it is impossible to have a perfectly even distribution in these clouds this is something that will naturally occur, and the area begins to contract. This happens because between about .1 and 1 particles per cubic centimeter, pressure gains an inverse relationship with density. This causes internal pressure to decrease with increasing density, which because of the higher external pressure, causes the density to continue to increase. This causes the gas in the interstellar medium to spontaneously collect into denser clouds. The denser clouds will contain molecular hydrogen (H2) and interstellar dust particles including carbon compounds, silicates, and small impure ice crystals. Also, within these clouds, there are 2 types of zones. There are H I zones, which contain neutral hydrogen and often have a temperature around 100 Kelvin (K), and there are H II zones, which contain ionized hydrogen and have a temperature around 10,000 K. The ionized hydrogen absorbs ultraviolet light from it’s environment and retransmits it as visible and infrared light. These clouds, visible to the human eye, have been named nebulae. The density in these nebulae is usually about 10 atoms per cubic centimeter. In brighter nebulae, there exists densities of up to several thousand atoms per cubic centimete...
The Andromeda Galaxy being 220,000 light years across is the biggest of its local galaxy group which includes the Milky Way Galaxy, Triangulum Galaxy, and about 44 smaller galaxies. The Andromeda Galaxy contains about (1 trillion*10to the 12th power) stars, which is more then double the estimated 200- 400 billion stars located in our own Milky Way Galaxy. Along with this the Andromeda Galaxy has a brightness magnitude of 3.4 making it one of the brightest of all the Messier Object group.
Algae are wide species of unicellular and multi-cellular organisms that use make use of photosynthesis like plants. They may commonly, though not scientifically, referred to as leafless plants. Algae are present in almost all kinds of ecosystems, whether terrestrial or aquatic, and can live in extreme and harsh conditions [1]. Flue gases from power plants and industrial exhaust gases are responsible for a big chunk of global GHG emissions and contain up to 15% CO2 [2]. These gases can be used as a source CO2 for algae and help mitigate the emissions by a great amount. Algae have shown ability to mitigate CO2 while being more efficient in use of sunlight. Another potential application for algae is in waste-water treatment plants. Nitrogen and Phosphorous in the waste water can be consumed by algae. A variety of species including Chlorella, Scenedesmus and Spirulina have been studied for waste water removal [3].Microalgae has historically been used to produce a large number of different valuable co-products such fertilizers and soil conditioners, anti-oxidants, fatty acids, coloring su...
Marine litter is any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed oforabandoned in the marine and coastal environment. Marine litter consists of items that have been made or used by people and deliberately discarded into the sea or rivers or on beaches; brought indirectly to the sea with rivers, sewage, storm water or winds; accidentally lost, including material lost at sea in bad weather (fishing gear, cargo); or deliberately left by people on beaches and shores.
There are eight planets in our solar system. The first planet closest to the sun is Mercury. Therefore, Mercury is the hottest planet. Mercury’s surface is cold. However, in the daytime Mercury can get as hot as 840 degrees fahrenheit, which is 450 degrees celsius. During night time the temperature can decrease to 275 degrees fahrenheit, or -170 degrees celsius. Mercury is the smallest planet. Mercury is the quickest planet to move around the sun. Its speed is approximately 112,000 mph along its elliptical orbit. Mercury can move around the sun in 88 days. There are craters in mercury, and scientist believe ice is in the craters.
Ever since the beginning of time there have been stars. Not only stars in the sky, but moons, planets, and even galaxies! Astronomy is defined as the branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole. In other words it is the study of space, planets, and stars. Throughout the ages, many people have used astronomy to help them learn about the universe, our own planet, and even make predictions about life itself. Understanding astronomy means understanding where it originated, the different groups/cultures that used it, and modern purposes of the science of the stars.