BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy Eerie Earth and Spooky Space - It's Halloween

Halloween falls midway between an equinox and a solstice. In the ancient Celtic world it was the new year's eve and start of winter - time to prepare for survival in the darkening days. But also a time when the boundary between our world and the otherworld weakened. Who knew what might cross it?

Halloween

Join me on a Halloween astronomical tour. See a cosmic witch and cosmic ghosts, spiders and snakes, and fiery skull. But have no fear. It's a virtual tour, and all these objects are a very long way away.

Cosmic Halloween Tour

A cosmic jack-o'-lantern? It looks somewhat like a jack-o'-lantern might appear after a few Halloween drinkies. But you've probably guessed that it's the Sun. The bright parts are active regions which show up clearly in this blend of 171 and 193 ångström light courtesy of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

October 8, 2014,
Credit: NASA/GSFC/SDO

in the constellation Ophiuchus, the Little Ghost Nebula (NGC 6369) surrounds a faint dying star as a small, ghostly cloud. It was discovered by 18th century astronomer William Herschel. Because of its round shape, it looked rather like a planet in his telescope, so Herschel called it a planetary nebula.

No planets are involved in the creation of a planetary nebula. When sunlike stars use up their nuclear fuel, the outer layers expand into space while the core collapses into a white dwarf. You can see the white dwarf star near the center of the nebula.

Astronomers use colorful language for cosmic objects. But unlike ghosts, ghouls and vampires in horror stories, the cosmic ones aren't scary late at night. Here are tales of the birth, evolution and death of stars, a blinking demon and a star that, at Halloween, seems like the Sun's ghost.

Cosmic Ghosts Ghouls and Vampires

Italian Astronaut Paolo Nespoli on board the International Space station sends greetings: Happy Halloween from Expedition 53!

Now that I can literally walk on the "ceiling" I can finally be what I was meant to be... Spiderman! Happy #Halloween! 👻

Credits: ESA/NASA

The Ghost Nebula (vdB 141) is a reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus . Several stars are embedded in the nebula - that's what gives it the unsettling brown color. The photo was taken at Kitt Peak National Observatory.

Image Credit: T.A. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage, H. Schweiker/WIYN and NOAO/AURA/NSF

Mona, that looks like a ghost. Wow!