I didn't feel like sleeping, so I entertained myself with this little project.
These are the Pillars of Creation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillars_of_creation
I divided the picture so that every square is (roughly) equal to one AU (Astronomical Unit, or the distance from the Earth to the Sun). Since the left-most pillar is about four light-years in length from top to bottom, that means it has a length of 250 AU.
So if I did my job right, there should be 250 little squares there.
http://hubski.com/pub?id=18346
I love journeys into unfathomable scales. It's just such a wonder that we can look up and see something like this. This is no more real than we are. If anything it is more real, as they were there long before us.
And yet, they are no longer there!!!
The Pillars of Creation no longer exist. In 2007, astronomers announced that they were destroyed about 6,000 years ago by the shock wave from a supernova. Because of the limited speed of light, the shock wave's approach to the pillars can currently be seen from Earth, but their actual destruction will not be visible for another millennium.
Where is the fish!? :)
posted 4438 days ago