Spitzer Telescope Sheds Light On Colony of Baby Stars 34
astroengine writes "NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope had the unprecedented opportunity to observe the heart of the Orion Nebula for 40 days, returning 80 images of the star-forming region. In doing so, the observatory has been keeping track of 1,500 young stars as they undergo rapid variations in brightness, caused by large 'cool spots' on the surface of the stars and obscuring dust. However, the high resolution images Spitzer is returning take center-stage, showing a tight cluster of stellar birth amid the nebulous clouds of dust. This is an incredible achievement considering its primary mission is over (after using up all of its liquid helium coolant in May 2009) and only two instruments are still working."
But... (Score:5, Funny)
Baby Stars (Score:0, Funny)
It's all relative. Those baby stars are already older than the whole history of our world (starting with the first cellular organisms).
And if they're babies it implies there is one or more parent (let's drop the male+female requirement). So who's the parent, and will he need to pay for the baby star college course?
Re:But... (Score:5, Funny)
We should be more concerned with the lack of parental oversight, didn't you ever read "Lord of the Skies"?
Pretty soon they'll be running around the cosmos wearing loincloths and putting pigs' heads on sticks and hunting each other down in the bush while celebrating the loss of their ability to make fire.
Well, maybe not that last bit, given the fact that they are stars.
Re:Baby Stars (Score:4, Funny)
Direction of light (Score:5, Funny)
Wouldn't it be a little more accurate to say that a colony of baby stars shed light on the Spitzer Telescope?
Spitzer? (Score:2, Funny)
How much does this telescope spend on prostitutes?