Fantastic shapes of NGC 6188 and NGC 6164

Another wonderful view of our Universe from APOD

Fantastic shapes lurk in clouds of glowing hydrogen gas in NGC 6188, about 4,000 light-years away. The emission nebula is found near the edge of a large molecular cloud unseen at visible wavelengths, in the southern constellation Ara. Massive, young stars of the embedded Ara OB1 association were formed in that region only a few million years ago, sculpting the dark shapes and powering the nebular glow with stellar winds and intense ultraviolet radiation.

The recent star formation itself was likely triggered by winds and supernova explosions, from previous generations of massive stars, that swept up and compressed the molecular gas. Joining NGC 6188 on this cosmic canvas is rare emission nebula NGC 6164, also created by one of the region's massive O-type stars. Similar in appearance to many planetary nebulae, NGC 6164's striking, symmetric gaseous shroud and faint halo surround its bright central star at the lower right.

The field of view spans about two full Moons, corresponding to 70 light years at the estimated distance of NGC 6188.

Here's what NGC 6164, located at the bottom right in the above picture, looks like in visible light:



Source

S/F this, the less words I say the better the pictures say it all.

I love this stuff.

Thanks for sharing!

How insignificant we really are..

reply to post by elevenaugust


Just so we have an accurate frame of referance.
I am about 5ft. & 6in. tall.
I have a son who is just over 6ft.

Now what is that compared to a few light years ?

Originally posted by Fisherr
How insignificant we really are..

Just imagine how our cells fell.

reply to post by elevenaugust


Amazing picture OP. Simply beautiful.


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reply to post by seriousskeptic

Originally posted by seriousskeptic
reply to post by elevenaugust

 

Just so we have an accurate frame of referance.
I am about 5ft. & 6in. tall.
I have a son who is just over 6ft.

Now what is that compared to a few light years ?

edit on 28-12-2012 by seriousskeptic because: (no reason given)

Here is an interactive "scale of the universe". It's awesome...

The scale of the universe

OH MY!
How beautiful!!
Amazing photos - I love photos like this.

reply to post by elevenaugust


Ut oh, put the shields up Capt.
This looks very Star Trekki to me !

I can only imagine the unfathomable wonders that lie waiting right there in front of us.

So close, yet so far away.

I quite enjoy this natural human curiosity that drives us into the unknown.

Originally posted by karen61560
reply to post by elevenaugust

 

Ut oh, put the shields up Capt.
This looks very Star Trekki to me !

Hey I actually like the premise of that scifi franchise.

That we humans can make alliances with friendly ets and explore together.

It is hollywood with symbolism etc, but the overall gist is correct 100%.
That all life forms are worthy of respect and dignity. That protecting Liberty of all beings we can create harmony amongst the stars. Learn and grow together.

We should be doing that today.

Why arent we? Its absurd, humans are capable of far higher standards than what we are allowing due to epidemic apathy.

A pic of stars can really get the mind thinking.

Originally posted by AthlonSavage
S/F this, the less words I say the better the pictures say it all.

Dare I say " we dont have ears big enough to hear .0000000001% of it " .

And thats fine, our destiny is a gift rather than a detriment.
The challenge of merely attempting to pay them a visit will bring out our true potentials.

Originally posted by muzzleflash
I can only imagine the unfathomable wonders that lie waiting right there in front of us.

So close, yet so far away.

I quite enjoy this natural human curiosity that drives us into the unknown.

Yes, and that's why I regularly post here, on ATS, such wonders that our terrestrial means allow us to have a quick glimpse at.
There's very likely more and more, and that always remind me of the movie "Contact", when Jodie Foster went out the capsule to look at this galaxy (my favorite scene), saying "So beautiful, I had no idea":



It's a mix between a strong feeling and my scientific education that make me saying that the most important discovery of humankind is probably on its way.

Then, I'm very impressed by the recent discoveries of the new exoplanets which some are really really similar to our old Earth.



Take for example Gliese 581g that have an ESI (Earth Similarity Index) of 0.92, with an estimated average surface temperature of 10°C:



... I can't imagine that such a similar "second Earth" never sheltered life at one point during the billions of years of its existence... and we are only at the very beginning of the exoplanets research!

Moreover, our detection techniques have done an impressive jump during the last years and there's no doubt in my mind that we will soon detect indubitable proof of life in exoplanet atmosphere. (See my thread "A major breakthrough for humanity en route")

Some examples of incredible beauties of our Universe:


From thread Spectacular Plasma Jets from Radio Galaxy Hercules A


From thread MWC 922: The odd and beautiful Red Square Nebula


From thread NGC 6357's Cathedral to Massive Stars


From thread The Ghost Nebula


Source: Galaxies, Stars and Dust


Source: Deepest image of the universe ever taken - 5500 galaxies in 2 arcminutes in size!!

We live in great times of discoveries...

Originally posted by Fisherr
How insignificant we really are..

how wrong you are. without us to perceive the beauty of this, it means nothing.

It's a shame the human eye cannot see this. Many of those nebulae are as large as the full moon, or even larger. The night sky is not dark, like we're used to thinking.

reply to post by elevenaugust


"They should've sent a poet."

Beautiful and overwhelming at the same time. Thanks for sharing. Makes you sit back and think about how small of a part we play in something we'll never fully comprehend. And yes too bad we can't see these views from home.

reply to post by elevenaugust


looking at those pictures makes me feel very very small. And some say there is no other life in the universe. Their must be.

1st pic reminded me of Da vinci`s ceiling painting , anyway very cool thread .

reply to post by elevenaugust


Stunning, just stunning!