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stellar-indulgence: N44C Nebula Resembling the hair in Botticelli’s famous portrait of the birth of Venus, an image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured softly glowing filaments streaming from hot young stars in a nearby nebula. The image, presented by the Hubble Heritage Project, was taken in 1996 by Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, designed and built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The image is available online athttp://heritage.stsci.edu/2002/12/index.html or http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2002/12/image/a/. (Refer to original image) On the top right of the image is a source of its artistic likeness, a network of nebulous filaments surrounding the Wolf-Rayet star. This type of rare star is characterized by an exceptionally vigorous “wind” of charged particles. The shock of the wind colliding with the surrounding gas causes the gas to glow. The Wolf-Rayet star is part of N44C, a nebula of glowing hydrogen gas surrounding young stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Visible from the Southern Hemisphere, the Large Magellanic Cloud is a small companion galaxy to the Milky Way. What makes N44C peculiar is the temperature of the star that illuminates it. The most massive stars — those that are 10 to 50 times more massive than the Sun — have maximum temperatures of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees Celsius (54,000 to 90,000 degrees Fahrenheit). The temperature of this star is about 75,000 degrees Celsius (135,000 degrees Fahrenheit). This unusually high temperature may be due to a neutron star or black hole that occasionally produces X-rays but is now inactive. N44C is part of a larger complex that includes young, hot, massive stars, nebulae, and a “superbubble” blown out by multiple supernova explosions. Part of the superbubble is seen in red at the very bottom left of the Hubble image. The Space Telescope Science Institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. Image credit: NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Acknowledgment: D. Garnett (University of Arizona) 
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stellar-indulgence:

N44C Nebula

Resembling the hair in Botticelli’s famous portrait of the birth of Venus, an image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured softly glowing filaments streaming from hot young stars in a nearby nebula.

The image, presented by the Hubble Heritage Project, was taken in 1996 by Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, designed and built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The image is available online athttp://heritage.stsci.edu/2002/12/index.html or http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2002/12/image/a/.

(Refer to original image) On the top right of the image is a source of its artistic likeness, a network of nebulous filaments surrounding the Wolf-Rayet star. This type of rare star is characterized by an exceptionally vigorous “wind” of charged particles. The shock of the wind colliding with the surrounding gas causes the gas to glow.

The Wolf-Rayet star is part of N44C, a nebula of glowing hydrogen gas surrounding young stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Visible from the Southern Hemisphere, the Large Magellanic Cloud is a small companion galaxy to the Milky Way.

What makes N44C peculiar is the temperature of the star that illuminates it. The most massive stars — those that are 10 to 50 times more massive than the Sun — have maximum temperatures of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees Celsius (54,000 to 90,000 degrees Fahrenheit). The temperature of this star is about 75,000 degrees Celsius (135,000 degrees Fahrenheit). This unusually high temperature may be due to a neutron star or black hole that occasionally produces X-rays but is now inactive.

N44C is part of a larger complex that includes young, hot, massive stars, nebulae, and a “superbubble” blown out by multiple supernova explosions. Part of the superbubble is seen in red at the very bottom left of the Hubble image.

The Space Telescope Science Institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency.

Image credit: NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Acknowledgment: D. Garnett (University of Arizona) 

bluecohosh: BLUECOHOSH INTERNATIONAL SPRING GIVEAWAYRemember I promised I would do this again? It’s been my pleasure to collect these bits over the past few weeks and now to give them away … Theme is the same as last time, but almost all items are different — Some are gifts from my etsy store and hand made by me, others are simply lovely things looking for a new home.Grand prize    •    Loose fit Raintower tank top with a moon phase design on the front, one size fits most. Sewn and dyed by me.    •    An OOAK Raintower Seaglass Bracelet, hand made by me.    •    My “Graylight” Graphic novel (written and illustrated by yours truly, published by nbm)    •    A4 Print of my “Morgana” painting, signed on the back.    •    A small original drawing of the full moon over a cabbage patch.    •    Lapis Drop Necklace.    •    A small paperback book “Introduction to Telepathy” by W.E. Butler with a beautiful cover.    •    Three Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Imps (perfume samples) — Zombi, Kubla Khan, Thorns    •    One bottle of White Musk oil, to use on a burner (not on skin)    •    Mini Incense sticks, a Japanese kind that I don’t know the name of, they smell lovely.    •    Assorted Incense Sticks: Earth, Water, Meditation    •    1 small phial of Vetivert essential oil - very concetrated, dilute if you use on skin.    •    1 tub of extra virgin coconut oil - for all types of skincare, for diluting essential oils, for your hair or to use in food.    •    Five tumbled cabochons; lapis lazuli, turquoise, red jasper, green jasper, a lovely grey stone I can’t identify.Runner up #1    •    A bundle of mini incense sticks    •    1 Tiger’s Eye cabochon    •    1 small phial of Opoponax essential oil - very concetrated, dilute if you use on skin    •    ”Ether” A4 print, signed on the backRunner up #2    •    A bundle of mini incense sticks    •    1 Malachite cabochon    •    1 small phial of Lavender extract - very concetrated, dilute if you use on skin    •    ”Trevia” A4 print, signed on the backHOW TO ENTER:    •    Follow bluecohosh if you don’t already    •    Reblog this post (multiple times is fine, 1 reblog = 1 entry)    •    Like this postRULES:    •    No spamblogs (I’ll check)    •    Please don’t change this text when reblogging, doing so disqualifies your entry.    •    Under 18? Enter with parent/guardian permission.    •    If you do reblog multiple times, please no more than twice a day, I don’t want to be the source of spam.    •    Please make sure I have a way of contacting you! Either open ask box on your blog or email address visible, something.DETAILS:    •    Giveaway ends May 15th.    •    Open internationally!    •    3 winners will be chosen at random.    •    If I haven’t heard back from a winner within one week of contacting them about their prize a new winner will be chosen for that prize — no exceptions, I want all this stuff to find a good home!    •    Didn’t win? Keep an eye on my instagram, I’ve been planning to do a giveaway on there for ages.my shop // my facebook page // instagram
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bluecohosh:

BLUECOHOSH INTERNATIONAL SPRING GIVEAWAY

Remember I promised I would do this again? It’s been my pleasure to collect these bits over the past few weeks and now to give them away … Theme is the same as last time, but almost all items are different — Some are gifts from my etsy store and hand made by me, others are simply lovely things looking for a new home.

Grand prize
    •    Loose fit Raintower tank top with a moon phase design on the front, one size fits most. Sewn and dyed by me.
    •    An OOAK Raintower Seaglass Bracelet, hand made by me.
    •    My “Graylight” Graphic novel (written and illustrated by yours truly, published by nbm)
    •    A4 Print of my “Morgana” painting, signed on the back.
    •    A small original drawing of the full moon over a cabbage patch.
    •    Lapis Drop Necklace.
    •    A small paperback book “Introduction to Telepathy” by W.E. Butler with a beautiful cover.
    •    Three Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Imps (perfume samples) — Zombi, Kubla Khan, Thorns
    •    One bottle of White Musk oil, to use on a burner (not on skin)
    •    Mini Incense sticks, a Japanese kind that I don’t know the name of, they smell lovely.
    •    Assorted Incense Sticks: Earth, Water, Meditation
    •    1 small phial of Vetivert essential oil - very concetrated, dilute if you use on skin.
    •    1 tub of extra virgin coconut oil - for all types of skincare, for diluting essential oils, for your hair or to use in food.
    •    Five tumbled cabochons; lapis lazuli, turquoise, red jasper, green jasper, a lovely grey stone I can’t identify.

Runner up #1
    •    A bundle of mini incense sticks
    •    1 Tiger’s Eye cabochon
    •    1 small phial of Opoponax essential oil - very concetrated, dilute if you use on skin
    •    ”Ether” A4 print, signed on the back

Runner up #2
    •    A bundle of mini incense sticks
    •    1 Malachite cabochon
    •    1 small phial of Lavender extract - very concetrated, dilute if you use on skin
    •    ”Trevia” A4 print, signed on the back

HOW TO ENTER:

    •    Follow bluecohosh if you don’t already
    •    Reblog this post (multiple times is fine, 1 reblog = 1 entry)
    •    Like this post

RULES:
    •    No spamblogs (I’ll check)
    •    Please don’t change this text when reblogging, doing so disqualifies your entry.
    •    Under 18? Enter with parent/guardian permission.
    •    If you do reblog multiple times, please no more than twice a day, I don’t want to be the source of spam.
    •    Please make sure I have a way of contacting you! Either open ask box on your blog or email address visible, something.

DETAILS:
    •    Giveaway ends May 15th.
    •    Open internationally!
    •    3 winners will be chosen at random.
    •    If I haven’t heard back from a winner within one week of contacting them about their prize a new winner will be chosen for that prize — no exceptions, I want all this stuff to find a good home!
    •    Didn’t win? Keep an eye on my instagram, I’ve been planning to do a giveaway on there for ages.

my shop // my facebook page // instagram

nybg: Truth be told, my stomach for green things had a threshold sitting somewhere below sea level until I was into my early twenties. Shameful, I know. Since then, I’ve been anxious to at least try new vegetation (I didn’t say I’d like it), and fiddleheads—the furled fronds of young ferns—are high on my list. There are some caveats to harvesting these adolescent springtime delicacies yourself, up to and including potential food poisoning and natural toxins if you don’t know your way around a woodland harvest. But one of our own experts, John Mickel (NYBG senior curator emeritus, fern expert, and secretary of the New York Fern Society for decades) was on hand to put at least one concern to rest in this quick rundown of the latest trend in foraged food. As always, don’t eat anything wild without knowing what you’re doing. And be sure to have a thorough understanding of your area’s collection laws; if you don’t know the status of what you’re picking, and it’s not your land, best to leave it alone. Click through for the fiddlehead rundown, complete with preparation tips. —MN
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nybg:

Truth be told, my stomach for green things had a threshold sitting somewhere below sea level until I was into my early twenties. Shameful, I know. Since then, I’ve been anxious to at least try new vegetation (I didn’t say I’d like it), and fiddleheads—the furled fronds of young ferns—are high on my list.

There are some caveats to harvesting these adolescent springtime delicacies yourself, up to and including potential food poisoning and natural toxins if you don’t know your way around a woodland harvest. But one of our own experts, John Mickel (NYBG senior curator emeritus, fern expert, and secretary of the New York Fern Society for decades) was on hand to put at least one concern to rest in this quick rundown of the latest trend in foraged food.

As always, don’t eat anything wild without knowing what you’re doing. And be sure to have a thorough understanding of your area’s collection laws; if you don’t know the status of what you’re picking, and it’s not your land, best to leave it alone. Click through for the fiddlehead rundown, complete with preparation tips. —MN

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