Bursting at the Seams
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This bubble of ionized gas and warm dust, called RCW 79, lies in the southern Milky Way, 17,200 light years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus, and probably took about one million years to form from the radiation and winds of hot young stars. The infrared eyes of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have found at least three generations of stars forming in this expanding envelope. The gas and dust balloon is an example of stimulated star formation. Such stars are born when the hot bubble expands into the interstellar gas and dust around it. RCW 79 has spawned at least two groups of new stars along the edge of the large bubble. Some are visible inside the small bubble in the lower left corner. Another group of baby stars appears near the opening at the top.
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Every formula which expresses a law of nature is a hymn of praise to God. - Maria Mitchell (1818 - 1889), U.S. astronomer
Fact of the Day
The Associated Press reported in December 1985, in Eugene, Oregon, a 6-month-old kitten set a Christmas tree on fire while batting at the lighted bulbs. The heat of the fire cracked a nearby fishbowl, and water from the bowl doused some of the fire. Firefighters arrived within minutes of the fire starting and put out the fire, which had spread to the carpet. A goldfish named Clyde was found lying prone in the cracked bowl, and when put into another bowl with water, was quickly revived and survived the ordeal. The water in Clyde's bowl had prevented the fire from getting out of control.Word of the Day
dactylology
/dak-tuh-LOL-uh-jee/
n : the use of the hands and fingers to communicate a language
"On the streets of large cities, you often see hearing-impaired people using dactylology to communicate with each other."
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