[Diaspora] Awesome images from space

[Brad Murray]

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090910.html

This is an important and exciting image for several reasons.

First, it shows off what the Hubble telescope can do. That's right,
the telescope we launched in the 80s that we thought was ruined, then
sent guys in special suits and toolboxes up to correct. A couple of
times. Recently, we sent up some more repair folks (and I don't mean
to understate their expertise or bravery; rather I mean to underscore
that they are just people like you and me and that's what we are
capable of -- sending folks into space to fix stuff) and improved the
Hubble in a lot of really amazing ways. This image is an example of
our new capabilities.

Second, it's an APOD on my birthday and it's beautiful, and when the
universe conspires to make pleasant things happen on days that are
special to one particular human of billions, on one particular world
of who-knows-how-many, I grin.

Third, look at what's HAPPENING THERE. That's a star blowing off
allmost all of its mass along two polar cones, with en ecliptic torus
of dust around the middle. It looks kinda like a butterfly, sure, but
mostly it looks like two vast cones of ejected material lit by the
biggest fusion explosion possible, spraying new and heavier elements
into space. Thanks to the speed of light, we only see one frame of
this exciting movie per lifetime or longer, but at this resolution we
can see in our mind's eye the past and future of it.

What's it LIKE in there?

-- 
Brad Murray (halfjack)
VSCA Publishing