Pictures, articles, and space junk.

click photos for sources.


this girl created this tiny universe. and this girl helps run it.
  • counterfeitredhead
  • hannahisdead
Seven Sisters Versus California On the upper right, dressed in blue, is the Pleiades. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades is one of the brightest and most easily visible open clusters on the sky. The Pleiadescontains over 3,000 stars, is about 400 light years away, and only 13 light years across. Surrounding the stars is a spectacular blue reflection nebula made of fine dust. A common legend is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named. On the lower left, shining in red, is the California Nebula. Named for its shape, the California Nebula is much dimmer and hence harder to see than the Pleiades. Also known as NGC 1499, this mass of red glowing hydrogen gas is about 1,500 light years away. Although about 25 full moons could fit between them, the above wide angle, deep field image composite has captured them both.

Seven Sisters Versus California

On the upper right, dressed in blue, is the Pleiades. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades is one of the brightest and most easily visible open clusters on the sky. The Pleiadescontains over 3,000 stars, is about 400 light years away, and only 13 light years across. Surrounding the stars is a spectacular blue reflection nebula made of fine dust. A common legend is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named. On the lower left, shining in red, is the California Nebula. Named for its shape, the California Nebula is much dimmer and hence harder to see than the Pleiades. Also known as NGC 1499, this mass of red glowing hydrogen gas is about 1,500 light years away. Although about 25 full moons could fit between them, the above wide angle, deep field image composite has captured them both.

The nebula M78 (also known as Messier Object 78, Messier 78, M78, or NGC 2068) is a reflection nebula in the Orion constellation. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780. M78 is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula in the sky. The nebula also belongs to the Orion complex and is about 1,600 light years distant from Earth.

The nebula M78 (also known as Messier Object 78, Messier 78, M78, or NGC 2068) is a reflection nebula in the Orion constellation. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780. M78 is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula in the sky. The nebula also belongs to the Orion complex and is about 1,600 light years distant from Earth.

An eerie blue glow and ominous columns of dark dust highlight M78 and other bright reflection nebula in the constellation of Orion. The dark filamentary dust not only absorbs light, but also reflects the light of several bright blue stars that formed recently in the nebula. Of the two reflection nebulas pictured above, the more famous nebula is M78, in the image center, while NGC 2071 can be seen to its lower left. The same type of scattering that colors the daytime sky further enhances the blue color. M78 is about five light-years across and visible through a small telescope. M78 appears above only as it was 1600 years ago, however, because that is how long it takes light to go from there to here. M78 belongs to the larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex that contains the Great Nebula in Orion and theHorsehead Nebula.

An eerie blue glow and ominous columns of dark dust highlight M78 and other bright reflection nebula in the constellation of Orion. The dark filamentary dust not only absorbs light, but also reflects the light of several bright blue stars that formed recently in the nebula. Of the two reflection nebulas pictured above, the more famous nebula is M78, in the image center, while NGC 2071 can be seen to its lower left. The same type of scattering that colors the daytime sky further enhances the blue color. M78 is about five light-years across and visible through a small telescope. M78 appears above only as it was 1600 years ago, however, because that is how long it takes light to go from there to here. M78 belongs to the larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex that contains the Great Nebula in Orion and theHorsehead Nebula.

IC 2118, also known as the Witch Head Nebula, is a faint reflection nebula in the constellation Eridanus, approximately 900 light-years away

IC 2118, also known as the Witch Head Nebula, is a faint reflection nebula in the constellation Eridanus, approximately 900 light-years away