August 6, 2007
When you were born, the Sun rose on a world that had never seen you before. Since then, every dawn has arrived in a universe subtly altered...
CG4: A Ruptured Cometary Globule
Birthday · August 6, 2007
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APOD published August 6, 2007. Credit: Josch Hambsch. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Can a gas cloud eat a galaxy? It's not even close. The odd looking "creature" or "hand" extending down from the top of the above photo is a gas cloud known as a cometary globule. This globule, however, has ruptured. Cometary globules are typically characterized by dusty heads and elongated tails. These features cause cometary globules to have visual similarities to comets, but in reality they are very much different. Globules are frequently the birthplaces of stars, and many show very young stars in their heads. The reason for the rupture in the head of this object is not completely known. The galaxy to the near the bottom of the image is huge, very far in the distance, and only placed near CG4 by chance superposition. News Flash: Phoenix Spacecraft Launches to Mars
Image credit: Josch Hambsch