Tuesday 21 April 2009

Microquasar (?) on Google Sky in Leo ?










[ Click on images to make them larger]
I saw the following on Google Sky at coordinates 09:47:59, 13:16:50. The object has, what seem like blue jets. The image stands out more than anything else in the whole Leo constellation. To see it Go to the left bar options on Google Sky. Type in the following coordinates in the search box: 09:47:59, 13:16:50

Then, go to
--> Featured Observatories
--> IRAS Infrared Sky
--> IRAS Infrared Sky
--> IRAS Overlay

OR you can just visit http://www.google.com/sky/

Type in 09:47:59, 13:16:50. Click on Infrared. You may need to adjust distance settings to actually see it.


Fig.1 Object at Google Sky at 09:47:59, 13:16:50

You need to activate the Infrared (IRAS) overlay. Otherwise it is not visible. Without IRAS, you see the nearby Planetary Nebula IRAS 09452+1330 as a red dot, also in Leo.


Fig. 2 IRAS 09452+1330 at 09h 47m 57.4s +13° 16' 44" (Leo).

At first glance the object in question looks like a text-book copy of a Microquasar ( something like a GRO J1655-40). It seems to have the jets of relativistic matter being ejected perpendicularly alongwith at least one Radio Lobe that I "think" i see on top in faded blue. But I am not able to find any official reference to it anywhere.

Note: Please keep in mind that these are photographs taken in 2007. Most likely the coordinates of the object have changed by now.

First, I thought it could be IRAS 09452+1330, which is listed as a Planetary Nebula (Peanut Nebula), hence PK designation. A search takes us to http://www.schoenball.de/astronomie/projekte/ppn/ppn.htm , where the following data is listed, (in German) :

Objekt Name Rektaszension Deklination andere Bezeichner
CW Leo Peanut Nebula 09h 47m 57.4s +13° 16' 44" IRAS 09452+1330


From the above data, it is seems that the coordinates of the Nebula "CW Leo" also known as "Peanut Nebula" is slightly different from the numbers presented above ( 09:47:59, 13:16:50)

No.1) 09h 47m 57.4s +13° 16' 44" (from the above table)

Instead of

No.2) 9h 47m 59sec +13h 16m 50s ( object visible in Google Sky IRAS overlay)

The difference is important because both coordinates are supposed to refer to the same object, but the coordinates No.1 point to an object that is also visible on Google Sky without the IRAS overlay, while the coordinates No. 2 point to a dark region in the sky if the IRAS overlay is not present. I think ( I maybe wrong) that the planetary nebulae are usually visible without the IRAS overlay. If so, then the conclusion leads to the fact that the above coordinates cannot be explained as belonging to the "CW Leo" planetary nebula and therefore must belong to "something else".

That got me thinking that it could be a Microquasar. But as mentioned before, I cannot find any references anywhere about it. And it seems close enough in Leo. It seems quite large, in fact comparable in size to Saturn ( at least by Google Sky's scales).


Fig. 3. Saturn and the object in Leo constellation as taken in 2007

Also, I found this on NASA from November 2008: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/19nov_cosmicrays.htm

"Nov. 19, 2008: An international team of researchers has discovered a puzzling surplus of high-energy electrons bombarding Earth from space. The source of these cosmic rays is unknown, but it must be close to the solar system and it could be made of dark matter......The least exotic possibilities include, e.g., a nearby pulsar, a 'microquasar' or a stellar-mass black hole—all are capable of accelerating electrons to these energies. It is possible that such a source lurks undetected not far away."

Following link from Caltech gives us some idea about colours of IRAS: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/image_galleries/legacy/iras_orion/caption.html

"... New processing techniques have been used to enhance
faint details and remove the instrumental artifacts (stripes) seen in earlier
IRAS images. The warmest features, e.g.~the stars, are brightest at 12
microns
. This emission is coded blue. The interstellar dust is cooler and shines brighter at 60 microns
(coded green) and 100
microns
(coded red)."
So, it appears that usually stars and the galactic centers show up as blue on IRAS' images. The object in question is shown as a large area of blue which is centered at a small green region that is only visible after zooming many times (on Google-earth). The fact that this object is not visible without the IRAS overlay indicates that it does not emit light very intensely or at all and the fact that it's blue on IRAS indicates that it's quite hot.

I intend to keep my eye open and see what comes up next :-)

Fig 4. Close up of the "Eye"
Fig 5. MicroQuasar ?






Fig 6. Object with saturn in Leo








Fig. 7. Another view







Fig. 8. The "Iris"

No comments:

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Tabloid Time: The Aliens Are a'Landing ?!.. ;-)

At the risk of being ridiculed and being labelled a freak, I shall like to draw everyone's attention to the following recent events....If you watch the videos then turn on the sound for the commentary...



Fireball across Ausin, Texas (16th Feb 2009). According to BBC, apparently, its NOT debris from a recent satellite collision...:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7891912.stm
http://us.cnn.com/2009/US/02/15/texas.sky.debris/index.html

Same in Idaho in recent times. NO meteor remains found yet: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7744585.stm

Exactly same in Sweden: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7836656.stm?lss

This was recorded on 25th Feb 2007 in Dakota, US:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVEsL584kGw&feature=related

This year has seen three of the spookiest UFO videos surface, with people in India, Mexico and even in space, NASA, spotting things they couldn't explain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WYRyuL4Z5I&feature=related

CHECK out this one on 24th Januray, 2009 in Argentina close to Buenos Aires:
You tube: www.youtube.com/
Press:
Press Coverage

AND Lastly, and more importantly, from Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlkV1ybBnHI

Heh?! Don't know how authentic these news are... don't even know if these are UFO's or meteors or ball lightning or something else. But, if meteors, then where are the meteorites ? However, I see no reason why life cannot exist in other planets and why they could not be sneaking around here :-) . I for one, have long suspected some of my relations to be space aliens or at least X-people from X-files :-)

I am waiting for a job on an Alien spaceship myself. :-)


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