--- Edward Lunt <lunco@yahoo.com> wrote: <snip>
--- Canopus56 <canopus56@yahoo.com> wrote:
These (IC410 "tadpoles") appear to be small globular clouds near a bright star or PN remnant. The solar wind from the bright star or PN remanent is blowing on the molecular clouds and form the characteristic "cometary knot" shape.
Ed, Looks like I got that one wrong on first impression. IC 405 is surrounded by open cluster NGC 1893. This is a stellar birthing area. A better image of the "tadpoles" - http://www.skyhound.com/sh/archive/jan/NGC_1893.html - shows them to be newly born hot stars. The solar wind from the hot stars are blowing away the surrounding gas that gave birth to the star. Because these new born stars are in a stellar nursery, the surrounding less dense gas of the larger nebula keeps the gas blown from the new stars condensed into the smoke-like trailer or cometary tail. Although solar wind is the causative agent of the cometary knot cloud form in both cases, the setting is different. IC 405 involves stellar birth; the cometary knots in the Helix Nebula involve stellar death. - Canopus56(Kurt) __________________________________ Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click. http://farechase.yahoo.com