Photo #1 (Oct 2011)

HERSCHEL'S COCOON

In the spacious mirror of reflective consciousness we begin to catch glimpses of the unity of the interwoven fabric of the cosmos and our intimate participation within the living web of existence.  No longer is reality broken into relativistic islands of pieces. If only for a brief moment at a time, existence is glimpsed and known as a seamless totality.  To explore our gradual awakening to the aliveness and unity of the universe ... awakens the intuition that a living presence permeates the universe.
                                             - Duane Elgin

Credit: ESA, SPIRE & PACS Consortia, Doris Arzoumanian (CEA Saclay), et al.

In this remarkable infrared skyscape of interstellar clouds adrift in the high flying constellation Cygnus, the eye is drawn to the Cocoon Nebula. Also known as IC5146, the dusty star forming region is shown in blue hues in the Herschel Space Observatory false color image, at wavelengths more than 100 times longer than visible red light. And while visible light images show the Cocoon nebula at the end of long dark nebula Barnard 168, Hershel's infrared view finds the cosmic Cocoon punctuating a trail of filamentary clouds of glowing dust. The filaments have widths that suggest they are formed as shockwaves from exploding stars travel through the medium, sweeping up and compressing the interstellar dust and gas. Herschel data also indicate stars are forming along the dusty filaments. The Cocoon Nebula itself is about 15 light-years wide and 4,000 light-years away.

Just as all beings on planet Earth are pixels on Gaia, so our planet and solar system and galaxy are pixels in the larger picture that is our universe. I find it puzzling that people find it difficult to believe that there are many other places in the cosmos where intelligent life exists.
                                                         - Dan Benor, MD