Author Archives: Chompsky

Behold: CG4, aka ‘God’s Hand’ – a ruptured cometary globule, so named because looks like a comet, but isn’t. To wit:

The “claw” of this odd looking “creature” in the featured photo is a gas cloud known as a cometary globule. This globule, however, has ruptured. Cometary globules are typically characterised by dusty heads and elongated tails. These features cause cometary globules to have visual similarities to comets, but in reality they are very much different. Globules are frequently the birthplaces of stars, and many show very young stars in their heads. The reason for the rupture in the head of this object is not yet known. The galaxy to the left of the globule is huge, very far in the distance, and only placed near CG4 by chance superposition.

(Image: Nicolas Rolland & Martin Pugh)

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Behold: Neptune and its moon Triton captured together during the planet’s crescent phase by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. To wit:

The elegant picture of the ice-giant planet and its cloudy moon was taken from behind just after closest approach in 1989. It could not have been taken from Earth because Neptune never shows a crescent phase to sunward Earth. The unusual vantage point also robs Neptune of its familiar blue hue, as sunlight seen from here is scattered forward, and so is reddened like the setting Sun. Neptune is smaller but more massive than Uranus, has several dark rings, and emits more light than it receives from the Sun.

(Image: NASA, Voyager 2)

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Rob Cross tweetz:

My colourised 1900c Robert French photo featuring the old Claddagh Bridge which linked the Fish Market and the Claddagh in #Galway City. The bridge was constructed in 1887 and replaced by the Wolfe Tone bridge in 1934.

The old Claddagh Bridge washing line.