Author Archives: Chompsky

Behold: M33, also known as NGC 598, also known as the Triangulum Galaxy – a mere three million light years away and well supplied with clouds of glowing hydrogen gas. But how to tell one rosy-cheeked rascal from the next? To wit:

Sprawling along loose spiral arms that wind toward the core, M33’s giant HII regions are some of the largest known stellar nurseries, sites of the formation of short-lived but very massive stars. Intense ultraviolet radiation from the luminous massive stars ionises the surrounding hydrogen gas and ultimately produces the characteristic red glow. To highlight the HII regions in this telescopic image, broadband data used to produce a colour view of the galaxy were combined with narrowband data recorded through a hydrogen-alpha filter, transmitting the light of the strongest hydrogen emission line. Close-ups of cataloged HII regions appear in the sidebar insets. Use the individual reference number to find their location within the Triangulum Galaxy. For example, giant HII region NGC604 is identified in an inset on the right and appears at position number 15. That’s about 4 o’clock from galaxy centre in this portrait of M33.

Full sized image here.

(Image: Luca Fornaciari)

apod

Behold: the N-Compo – a dinky camper van conversion of Honda’s already dinky N-Van ultra-mini by Japanese modifiers White House.

Available in single and multi-sleeper variants, the N-Compo fits a lot into its tiny interior including seat-supported twin beds, sink, shelves, microwave, collapsible dining table, folding workstation, built-in refrigerator and a rear screen door.

There’s also a pop-up top, a fold-out side awning and an expandable privacy tent for adding ‘outdoor patio space’. All this in a vehicle shorter than an MX-5.

Yours for ¥2,234,100* (because, for now, it’s only available in Japan).

(*€17,300) 

hiconsumption

Behold: the 1993 Jaguar XJ220. One owner. Low mileage. Mint condition.

This car, in Moza Red over a Sand interior, was delivered new to a customer in Germany in 1994 and immediately stored in a climate controlled collection.

Never registered, treated to a full engine recondition, it has travelled less than 640km in the last 28 years and changed hands at this year’s Goodwood Festival for a record €537,500.

uncrate

Behold: one of the most famous of many pictures taken during the Apollo 11 moon landing in the summer of ’69 – a shot of Buzz Aldrin taken by Neil Armstrong. Also in reverse. To wit:

The original image (top pic) captured not only the magnificent desolation of an unfamiliar world, but Armstrong himself reflected in Aldrin’s curved visor. Enter modern digital technology. In the featured image (pic 2), the spherical distortion from Aldrin’s helmet has been reversed. The result is the famous picture — but now featuring Armstrong himself from Aldrin’s perspective. Even so, since Armstrong took the picture, the image is effectively a five-decade old lunar selfie. The original visor reflection is shown on the left, while Earth hangs in the lunar sky on the upper right. A foil-wrapped leg of the Eagle lander is prominently visible. Preparations to return humans to the Moon in the next few years include the Artemis program, an international collaboration led by NASA.

Any excuse.

(Image: NASA, Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong; Processing: Michael Ranger)

apod

How did a star (which is round) create a rectangular nebula? No one really knows. To wit:

The round star, known as MWC 922 and possibly part of a multiple star system, appears at the center of the Red Square Nebula. The featured image combines infrared exposures from the Hale Telescope on Mt. Palomar in California, and the Keck-2 Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. A leading progenitor hypothesis for the square nebula is that the central star or stars somehow expelled cones of gas during a late developmental stage. For MWC 922, these cones happen to incorporate nearly right angles and be visible from the sides. Supporting evidence for the cone hypothesis includes radial spokes in the image that might run along the cone walls. Researchers speculate that the cones viewed from another angle would appear similar to the gigantic rings of supernova 1987A, possibly indicating that a star in MWC 922 might one day itself explode in a similar supernova.

(Image: Peter Tuthill (Sydney U.) & James Lloyd (Cornell U.))

apod

Behold: the Vinci – an e-bike prototype designed by mechanical engineer and industrial designer Enzo Prathamesh, currently funding via Kickstarter.

The aluminium-alloy top frame tube houses an LED headlight and brake light cluster along with a 48v, 15Ah lithium battery mounted under the seat which powers a 750w rear hub-mounted motor.  Charge is good for 50km of throttle-only riding, or up to 80km of pedal-assist at 32km/h (eco) and 56km/h (sport mode). 

There’s a colour LCD in the tube indicating speed and charge, a seven-speed drivetrain Shimano gearset, front and rear suspension and fat Kenda tires.

Yours to preorder for $1,150 (€980)

uncrate

Behold: the Brabus ‘Rocket Edition’ AMG GLE – purportedly the fastest production SUV on the planet.

Based on the Mercedes GLE 63S, the the twin-turbo 4.5L V8 has been thoroughly reworked, developing a terrifying 900bhp, surging to 100km/h in 3.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 330km/h.

Other Brabus goodies include an Airmatic Sports suspension controller, carbon fibre components, carbon-titanium tailpipes and gigantic 24in (61cm) wheels with carbon aero discs. The interior is Alcantra, carbon fibre and fine leather with red anodised metal accents. 

Only 25 will be built and yours will cost a minimum of €381,243.

hiconsumption

Behold: the 992-generation Porsche 911 Targa – further refined by Italian coach builder ARES. The impressive 911 stance is modified with a carbon fibre aero kit adding 8cm of width in the front and 4cm at the rear. The stock interior has been replaced with caramel leather and a further 60bhp has been pumped out of the already rorty 379bhp boxer engine.

The vehicle is a commission for a private buyer so you can’t have it, but you can order your own bespoke one-off here.

hiconsumption

Behold: the 2008 Spyker C8 Laviolette coupe – a hand-built, mid-engine supercar powered by a 4.2-litre Audi V8. 300 of these were made between 2000 and 2008, with just 58 of these variants named after Belgian engineer Joseph Valentin Laviolette, who helped develop Spyker racecars in the early 1900s.

The aircraft gun port style air intakes, toggle switches and aluminium panelling are a nod to the Dutch company’s previous incarnation as a plane manufacturer.

This vehicle, in mint condition with a diamond-quilted black leather interior, Burnt Orange exterior and less than 800km on the clock comes up for auction next month with opening bids expected between €260,000 and €340,000.

uncrate

Behold: UGC 2885, a giant spiral galaxy about 232 million light-years distant. In this Hubble Space Telescope image the bright, spiky stars lie in the foreground toward the constellation of Perseus within our own Milky Way galaxy. To wit:

Some 800,000 light-years across compared to the Milky Way’s diameter of 100,000 light-years or so, it has around 1 trillion stars. That’s about 10 times as many stars as the Milky Way. Part of an investigation to understand how galaxies can grow to such enormous sizes, UGC 2885 was also part of An Interesting Voyage and astronomer Vera Rubin’s pioneering study of the rotation of spiral galaxies. Her work was the first to convincingly demonstrate the dominating presence of dark matter in our universe.

(Image: NASA, ESA, B. Holwerda (University of Louisville))

apod