Science fun đą aquarium đ , planetarium đ, hands-on exhibits for science lovers of all ages. Near Downtown Hickory, NC. 828-322-8169
- Tweets6.5K
- Following403
- Followers1.6K
- Likes1.6K
ALT Illustration of two large, cratered rocks in the foreground right. Another rock is seen in the distance to the left. The black background of space shows the hazy Sun and zodiacal light due to dust in the solar system, as well as scattered distant stars. The words âArtistâs Conceptâ appear in gray at the bottom left.
ALT Two spiral galaxies take the shape of a colorful beaded mask that sits above the nose. The galaxy at left, IC 2163, is smaller, taking up a little over a quarter of the view. The galaxy at right, NGC 2207, takes up half the view, with its spiral arms reaching the edges. IC 2163 has a bright orange core, with two prominent spiral arms that rotate counter clockwise and become straighter towards the ends, the left side extending almost to the edge. Its arms are a mix of pink, white, and blue, with an area that takes the shape of an eyelid appearing whitest. NGC 2207 has a very bright core. Overall, it appears to have larger, thicker spiral arms that spin counter clockwise. This galaxy also contains more and larger blue areas of star formation that poke out like holes from the pink spiral arms. In the middle, the galaxiesâ arms appear to overlap. The edges show the black of space, including extremely distant galaxies that look like orange and red smudges, and a few foreground stars.
ALT A galaxy cluster fills the image, showing differently shaped yellowish galaxies against black space. A foreground star shines at lower left. Warped, stretched lines of light throughout show gravitationally lensed galaxies.
ALT Several stars fill the image, more closely concentrated near the center. Foreground stars with diffraction spikes shine throughout as well.
ALT Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. A glowing pink galaxy core is surrounded by massive spiral arms, ablaze with bright pink regions of star formation and interlaced with dark brown dust.
ALT Ring Nebula. Viewed like a distorted donut, an inner circular region glows in dark blue shades with faint stars viewed within. It's surrounded by a ring of bright teal, then an outer ring of orange. Black space with distant, faint stars fills the background.
ALT Caldwell 78. A roughly spherical grouping of stars that shine in white, blue, and red, more densely concentrated near the center and more dispersed at the edges of the image.
ALT The Christmas Tree Cluster, a collection of stars set against a gaseous green nebula. The nebula is triangular-shaped with spiky projections, resembling a Christmas tree, and dotted with blue and white stars that look like Christmas ornaments. Stars and other cosmic objects shine across the rest of the image. See article for full image credits.
ALT An irregular galaxy, a narrow streak of stars crossed by faint dust lanes. It is surrounded by a bright glow, appearing like a beam of light in the center of a dark background. A scatter of small, distant galaxies and a single, bright star surround the galaxy.
ALT Comic titled âBlack Hole Friday Sales.â Middle of the page reads âOut-of-this-world deals!â Scattered throughout are illustrated âcoupons.â The taglines say (top to bottom): âFree travel guide to planning your next black hole vacation (when you purchase a cosmic timeshare)â; âAdd some planets to your system with this exoplanet bundle!â; âAccretion disk skirt: Be the center of attention. Made of 100% recycled materialâ; âStandard candles: Reliably bright. Non-scented. Long-lasting burnâ; Stephanâs Quintet: A 5-for-1 galactic dealâ; âBlack hole merger: Get ready to ride this (gravitational) wave before this deal endsâ; âWidow system: Act quickly before these stars disappear!â; âBlack holes: the perfect (permanent) storage solutionâ; âSpaghettify! Noodles: Feed the black hole of your stomachâ; and âReady Space Player One. Limited time offer: Roman Space Observer Black Hole DLC! This weekend only!â The bottom says âGet these deals before they disappear beyond the point of no return."