PDA

View Full Version here: : Howling Monkey face in Tarantula Nebula


astrospotter
11-01-2011, 09:42 PM
This may sound a bit odd but I wanted to ask if anybody down there has seen what I had seen every time I looked at Tarantula nebula optically with a 12" scope at about 170x with O3 filter. I have never been able to see this in ANY picture and clearly as through a scope due to the way our eyes are far more sensitive to high dynamic range than CCD chips and also all the photos tend to use H-a which we do NOT see well. So I think this is a visual thing. I bet the only picture that could show this well would be a high dynamic range O3 only picture.

From time to time in complex objects I sometimes envision animal faces in random shapes such as Tarantula Nebula and other nebula. Also I am from the North so the following will be your proof that all us north hemisphere guys have a screw loose, well maybe it just me. Anyway ...

To me one striking feature of this extremely complex network of nebulosity was a monkey face. This head is in the northern area of the main nebula area and is about 8' tall with mouth to south and top of head to the north. His chin and head are cradled just to the north of the three darker circles of about 2' dark area each (These 3 circles are apparent in most pictures and are like 3 circles of the Olympic emblem but only just touching). So above those is the chin and bottom of the face with a dark mouth open in a circular shape just north of the chin as if making the classic monky 'ooo ooo' sound. The nose is the brightest stars of the 2070 star cluster. Moving farther north are the two eyes offset E and W and just above the bright nose. The top of the head is not really well defined and takes even MORE imagination than all the above description.

Each time I viewed this nebula it was clear as day AND no, I had not been drinking or consuming any sort of drug (what a shame). This view was through a Dob on March 15 this last year around 10 but is so large that any 6" or larger scope I am sure could see enough light to get all of this IF you are as prone to seeing shapes in nebula as I.

I will now await being banned from IceInSpace and before that I just want to say that you guys (and gals) have a really nice board here. :thumbsup:

I would be curious if anybody else sees this but I understand if you would not be so crazy as to admit in on a public board and told me in a message WHICH I promise NOT to post! :D

Take care,
Mark

Paddy
11-01-2011, 09:48 PM
I haven't noticed this, but now that you've mentioned it I will look and I'm sure once my brain has seen it I will see it every time. Like the "covered wagon" in NGC 104 - once it was pointed out, I always see it. In NGC 3766 in Centaurus, I always see an astronauts helmet. I'll let you know how I get on.

Rob_K
11-01-2011, 10:20 PM
I haven't noticed it before Mark, but boy would I like to observe with you! :D :lol:

I'll keep my eye out for this, when (if) the clouds ever clear! Thanks. :thumbsup:

Cheers -

Rob_K
11-01-2011, 10:30 PM
Hmmm, I've just looked at today's APOD and there is an obvious monkey face in the Tarantula Nebula! But it's not the one you describe, it has a big wide grin. :shrug:

I feel that you have sowed the seeds of insanity on IIS Mark - let's hope it doesn't spread beyond this thread.... ;) :lol:

Cheers -

astrospotter
12-01-2011, 05:45 AM
I guess I would rather see a comical monkey face than a tarantula. I have yet to have a tarantula shape really seem apparent in that nebula.

It is funny how the brain tries to do pattern recognition into things that are not of course not intended to be any sort of pattern. A sort of Rorschach test. As we all know quite a few astronomical objects have names related to the shapes people see in them. I never did see a running chicken down south no matter how hard I looked http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/../vbiis/images/smilies/lol.gif And I took an extremely long description on that nebula.

The real famous ones are the face in the moon and that face on Mars but there are many others. Heck the constillations themselves required quite a bit of wine to dream up the images the Greeks saw in those.

Thanks for the other images that people see in objects Paddy but I will not be able to check those anytime soon (behind earth from my point of view)

Off topic note on Tarantula season: October up north here is tarantula season where they all come out and wanter about 'lookin for love'. So I have seen many actual tarantula. I counted seeing almost 20 on a road from a freeway to a very large California star party here called CalStar last year (that was peak tarantula season).

vespine
17-01-2011, 01:49 PM
If you are interested, the phenomenon you are describing is known as pareidolia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

astrospotter
17-01-2011, 06:22 PM
I will say that SOMEBODY down there named the 'Running Chicken Nebula' and 'Tarantula Nebula'. ;) I tried very hard with only slight success to see Gabriela Mistral outline but could not quite get it except in a processed picture side by side with the real thing. I was looking at an image that was upside down in the scope so maybe that was part of that. I envision better profiles in witch head nebula and even the eastern veil with is a stretch even for me. I also don't get the 'dragons head' out of LMC nebula Ngc2035 area.

Funny stuff. :lol: