by Astronomers have some oddly named astronomical objects. Scientists, in general have come up with many names that don’t exactly roll off the tongue very well. But sometimes they get it right…
The Soap Bubble Nebula:
This symmetric nebula, found in the constellation Cygnus, does look just like a soap bubble floating in a cloud of stars. It is probably the final phase in the life of a sun-like star. First identified on July 6, 2008 by amateur astronomer Dave Jurasevich.
Good job on the naming! I can’t think of a better name.
I love NASA’s “Astronomy Picture of the Day” website. This APOD post was from a couple of years ago but I just saw it today and thought it was worth sharing.
Click the picture above to see the original image and the full descriptions of this object. Also, check out “Astronomy Picture of the Day” from time to time. It’s well worth it for some beautiful images. Go on… It’ll only take 5 minutes out of your day.
And now, if you’ve made it this far, you deserve a dumb astronomy joke:
Question: How many astronomers does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: 5
- one to measure its black body radiation to verify it is totally dead.
- one to lobby government for money to buy another one.
- one to write the environmental impact statement.
- one to record the steps taken during the change, for later publication in Scientific American.
- one to find donors for the money to get a new one, because the government rejected funding.
I don’t remember where I got this joke. I copied and pasted it from an email from a while ago.
— CSH
