Behold: the double-shelled Eskimo Nebula (also known as the Clownface Nebula or Caldwell 39).

Some say it looks like a human head in a furry parka hood. But not astronomer William Herschel, who discovered it in 1787. For him, it was named NGC  2392 WH IV-45. To wit:

More recently, the Hubble Space Telescope imaged the nebula in visible light, while the nebula was also imaged in X-rays by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The featured combined visible-X ray image, shows X-rays emitted by central hot gas in pink. The nebula displays gas clouds so complex they are not fully understood. NGC 2392 is a double-shelled planetary nebula, with the more distant gas having composed the outer layers of a Sun-like star only 10,000 years ago. The outer shell contains unusual light-year long orange filaments. The inner filaments visible are being ejected by strong wind of particles from the central star. The NGC 2392 Nebula spans about 1/3 of a light year and lies in our Milky Way Galaxy, about 3,000 light years distant, toward the constellation of the Twins (Gemini).

(Image: NASA, ESA, Hubble, Chandra; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt)

apod

St Paul’s College pitches at St Anne’s Park in Raheny, Co Dublin; decision by An Board Pleanála to grant permission for apartments to be built 

RTÉ reports:

An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission to contentious plans for more than 650 homes on playing pitches beside St Anne’s Park in Raheny in north Dublin.

The appeals board has given Pat Crean’s Marlet Group the green light in spite of strong local opposition against the plan.

The appeals board had received over 650 objections against the proposed development.

Under the Government’s ‘fast track’ planning rules, Marlet’s Crekav Trading was seeking a 10 year permission to construct 657 apartments on the St Paul College’s site.

Meanwhile…

Facebook group I Love St Anne’s writez:

“Planning permission for 657 apartments on the St Paul’s pitches in St Anne’s has been GRANTED.

“We are surprised and disappointed with this decision from An Bord Pleanála, which appears to contradict their own recent ruling on the synthetic pitches and their 2018 refusal for a similar development on the same lands.

“In addition, there are two legal processes on-going in relation to this land, which in our view, make today’s ruling somewhat premature.

“Once we have had a chance to review the Inspector’s Report we will post a full update.”

St Anne’s Park apartments development gets green light (RTÉ)

I Love St Anne’s

Labour’s Alan Kelly (centre) surrounded by supporters including his wife Regina O’Connor (front row, fifth from left), Labour’s Sean Sherlock and Duncan Smith (front row, ninth and tenth from left) and Jan O’Sullivan (front row, second from left)  and Willie Penrose (back row, third from right) on the plinth this morning

Or Teneo’s way?

They must decide.

This afternoon.

Labour’s Alan Kelly tweetz:

“I am delighted to announce that I have been nominated to stand for leader of Labour. A huge thank you to all those who have supported me and especially the people of Tipperary for giving me their confidence once again as, without them, I wouldn’t be in a position to be here today.”

Alan Kelly seeking to return Labour to ‘leadership of the left’ (The Irish Times)

‘Day of apologising is over’ for Labour, says Alan Kelly (Aidan Corkery, Business Post)

Related: Alan Kelly: ‘Power is a drug . . . it suits me’ (Niamh Horan, Sunday Independent, January 31, 2016)

Previously: High Again

Who’s The Boss?

UPDATE:

It’s on.

Ryan McMullan – Ruthless Cupid

Cometh the arrow, cometh the man.

Ryan McMullan (top) quivers at the mythological matchmaker on the title track of his new EP.

The singer from Portaferry, County Down, says:

“These songs reflect a handful of times where it felt like Cupid has been toying with me. Amusing himself by throwing me into situations where I’m either out of my depth, hoping for reconciliation, or unable to escape the truth that even at the end, I’m still holding on to even the worst of my attempts at love.”

You can catch Ryan live on his Irish tour in May.

Nick says: A fine romance.

Ryan McMullan

A bumper state-funded salary thread by Ken Foxe, who writes:

The new chief executive of the Land Development Agency: €200,000 per year, provision of a car, health insurance for the candidate and their family, and access to the pension scheme applicable to commercial state body chiefs….

…On the right A salary of €200,000 for the new Project Director of the National Children’s Hospital. This used to be one role but was split into separate posts with a project director and chief officer. Unknown material was redacted by Dept of Public Expenditure & Reform:

On the left a salary of €177,175 per year for the new Chief Officer of the National Children’s Project. This was to reflect the “significant increase in the scale & complexity of the role, the ongoing political, public, and media interest in the project …”…

…Sanction was granted for an increase in the salary of the chief executive of Sport Ireland to €157,000 per year for the final year of the incumbent’s contract. The Dept of Public Expenditure would not comment on why this happened…

…The new head of the National Screening Service is to be given a salary of €161,477 per year. This role has yet to be filled and the competition is ongoing. Dept of Public Expenditure said in future they wanted to be given more notice to make such decisions…

…Sanction was also given for IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan to be reappointed for a five year term with a salary of €187,869 per year. This followed letter from IDA who said the salary had “not been reviewed for some time”…

…the Dept also granted permission for a new head of regulatory affairs at the Health Insurance Authority to be paid a salary at the highest level of the principal officer scale. This is likely a salary of between €101,114 and €107,399…

…Approval for Director of the National Archives to be appointed at a rate of €93,785 per year. Not fully clear if this was the final arrangement and Dept would not provide any further information on it.

Right To Know

Ken Foxe

Behold: the 1988 Italdesign Aztec Coupe – not to be confused with that other infamous Aztec, Walter White’s Pontiac.

Based on Giorgetto Giugiaro’s 1988 Turin Motor Show prototype and slated for an initial production run of 50, only 18 were ever made – each fitted with external key-code diagnostics and service area access, powered by a turbocharged Audi 2.2-litre inline-five engine and married to a Lancia all-wheel-drive system.

Say what you like about the Captain Scarlet styling, the Aztec’s twin-bubble, split cockpit is – at the very least – ideal for dysfunctional couples.

Yours for €69,000+.

uncrate

Finally.

Previously: Is It Time For A Car Free South William Street?

Ew.

Meanwhile…

…on various online forums and via social media platforms such as Twitter, rumours abound that the Irish act will either be 4-piece baroque-pop band ELM or US-based singer-songwriter Lesley Roy….

ELM or Lesley Roy heading to Eurovision 2020 for Ireland? (Escxtra Eurovision)

Thanks Frank

Uncanny.

RTÉ broadcaster John Creedon (left) writes:

This is Liam (right). His mates reckon he looks so like me that they actually call him ‘John Creedon’.

They spotted me in Scotland yesterday and just had to do a ‘double-take’ selfie. Dunno.. if I thought I looked as good as Liam, I’d be in movies….

FIGHT!

Broadsheet.ie