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New image revealed of “ominous” cometary globule known as “God’s Hand” as massive stars tear it apart
“God’s Hand” has been revealed in a stunning new photo. Researchers say the “ghostly” and “ominous” image of the cometary globule in the Milky Way comes as the space object is continuing to be destroyed by radiation from massive stars.
The globule, more formally known as CG 4, sits around 1,300 light-years away in the constellation Puppis. Specifically, it lives in a “huge patch of glowing gas” that the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, known as NOIRLab, says is called the Gum Nebula. That nebula, the lab said, is believed to the remains of a million-year-old supernova and is home to dozens of these globules.
The lab released the new image, saying it was captured by a Dark Energy Camera mounted on a telescope.
“A ghostly hand appears to be emerging from the interstellar medium and reaching out into the cosmos,” the lab says of the image. “…Its dusty head, which has a diameter of 1.5 light-years, and its long, faint tail, which is about eight light-years long, make CG 4 a comparatively small Bok globule.”
The lab says that Bok globules are clouds of cosmic gas and dust that are surrounded by ionized material. When some of that material leaves, it can create the appearance of long tail that resembles a comet, making them known as cometary globules.
CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA
What helps the comet become visible for photographing is also what destroys it. The tails of these globules typically block light, but radiation from nearby stars helps with the illumination.
“The intense radiation generated by these neighboring massive stars, however, is gradually destroying the head of the globule and sweeping away the tiny particles that scatter the starlight,” the lab said. “Still, the dusty head of CG 4 contains enough gas to feed the active formation of several new, sun-sized stars.”
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.