Mostly Mute Monday: Space turns green on 4/20 (Synopsis)

“The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.” -Carl Sagan

The Universe is filled with a wide variety of stars, planets, galaxies and other optical phenomenon. Despite the fact that there are no such things as green stars, on rare occasions, galaxies themselves appear to be emitting isolated green wisps into intergalactic space.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI), with science by NASA, ESA, and W. Keel (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa). Image credit: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI), with science by NASA, ESA, and W. Keel (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa).

What could be going on here? Since the first such object was discovered eight years ago, this was a hotly debated mystery, one that's been solved with an unlikely phenomenon: the same physics that underlies the aurorae here on Earth!

Image credit: NASA, ESA, W. Keel (University of Alabama), and the Galaxy Zoo Team. Image credit: NASA, ESA, W. Keel (University of Alabama), and the Galaxy Zoo Team.

Go get the whole story -- and all the images -- on this edition of Mostly Mute Monday!

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didn't know Sagan had such a view of marijuana. Interesting :)

By Sinisa Lazarek (not verified) on 20 Apr 2015 #permalink

That does look like bud..cool, even the trichome development is there.
I'd say those galaxies are in the “window of peak maturity”.

Not that I would no mind you..

By Ragtag Media (not verified) on 20 Apr 2015 #permalink

I actually owned 3 acres in the Puna Rain forest, back in the late 80's early 90's.. I admit to being a Haole From The Mainland.
Property was a few miles up slope from the Kīlauea caldera, could see the glow of the Lava flow..
Pretty Cool.
Had to be careful of the "Growers" though, not to piss anyone off..

By Ragtag Media (not verified) on 20 Apr 2015 #permalink