Yahoo: http://news.yahoo.com/celestial-­‐
wonder-­‐looks-­‐uncannily-­‐manatee-­‐
144544052.html Celestial Wonder Looks Uncannily Like
a Manatee
A watery-looking nebula in deep space is
being renamed after the sea creature it strongly
resembles: a manatee.
The nebula is the leftovers from a star that
died in a supernova explosion about 20,000
years ago. Before it died, the giant star puffed
out its outer gaseous layers, which now swirl
in green-and-blue clouds around the dead hulk
of the star, which has collapsed into a black
hole.
Manatees are endangered, in part because boat
propellers often cut deep gashes into the
herbivores' sides, injuring or killing many
manatees every year. The nebula, too, bears
streaky scars carved out by particles in the two
protruding jets emitting from the black hole at
its core.
Crystal River Refuge, established in 1983 to
protect the endangered West Indian manatee,
is the home of the largest natural concentration
of manatees in Florida.
The Manatee Nebula, which lies 18,000 lightyears away in the constellation of Aquila, isn't
the only celestial object named after an Earthly
creature: It is joined in the cosmos by the Crab
Nebula, the Eagle Nebula, and the Pelican
Nebula, among others.
Known officially as W50, the celestial object
is being dubbed the Manatee Nebula by the
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
(NRAO), during a ceremony today (Jan. 19) at
the Florida Manatee Festival in Crystal River,
Fla. The NRAO will also unveil a new photo
of the nebula taken by the Very Large Array
(VLA) radio telescope network in New
Mexico.
"When the VLA's giant W50 image reached
the NRAO director's office, Heidi Winter, the
director's executive assistant, saw the likeness
to a manatee, the endangered marine mammals
known as 'sea cows' that congregate in warm
waters in the southeastern United States,"
NRAO officials wrote in a statement."
At Winter's suggestion, NRAO decided to
collaborate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service to confer the new nickname on the
nebula.
Manatees are huge mammals that average
about 10 feet (3 meters) long and tend to
weigh over 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms).
These gentle giants propel themselves with
flippers, and spend up to eight hours a day
munching on sea plants.
The new photo shows the manatee nebula
seemingly mimicking a trademark pose of the
animal, which is often seen floating on its
back, with flippers crossed over belly.
What is a nebula? A)
B)
C)
D)
A water creature The remnants of a star A type of planet A close relative of the manatee What is mentioned as a threat to manatees? A)
B)
C)
D)
Accidents involving boats Hunting Asteroid strikes Sea temperature rise What is another term used for the manatee? A)
B)
C)
D)
Mammal Nebula Sea cow Constellation