“… we watched the stars …”

― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

“Before we invented civilization our ancestors lived mainly in the open out under the sky. Before we devised artificial lights and atmospheric pollution and modern forms of nocturnal entertainment, we watched the stars. There were practical calendar reasons of course but there was more to it than that. Even today the most jaded city dweller can be unexpectedly moved upon encountering a clear night sky studded with thousands of twinkling stars. When it happens to me after all these years it still takes my breath away.”

― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

You can always rely on Carl Sagan to move you and to make you think and take your breath away.

The galaxy NGC 6946 is nothing short of spectacular. In the last century alone, NGC 6946 has experienced 10 observed supernovae, earning its nickname as the Fireworks Galaxy. In comparison, our Milky Way averages just 1-2 supernova events per century. This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the stars, spiral arms, and various stellar environments of NGC 6946 in phenomenal detail. We are able to marvel at NGC 6946 as it is a face-on galaxy, which means that we see the galaxy facing us, rather than seeing it from the side (known as edge-on). The Fireworks Galaxy is further classified as an intermediate spiral galaxy and as a starburst galaxy. The former means the structure of NGC 6946 sits between a full spiral and a barred spiral galaxy, with only a slight bar in its centre, and the latter means it has an exceptionally high rate of star formation. The galaxy resides 25.2 million light-years away, along the border of the northern constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus (The Swan).

The Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space is an amazing book and I strongly recommend you read it – after all who wouldn’t want to swear on it for all those important moments in life:

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, swears in Dr. Makenzie Lystrup as Director of Goddard Space Flight Center, as NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy looks on Thursday, April 6, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it we go nowhere.” — Carl Sagan

Goddard has a new center director! Last week Dr. Makenzie Lystrup was sworn in on Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot.”
Learn more about Dr. Lystrup

PS: I love coffee. BuyMeACoffee, leave a message with a date and time and we can share it, remotely, at the same time, and think about the Cosmos.

In the meantime, take care of yourself and if you can, someone else, too, because as Adam Smith said, “we naturally desire not only to be loved but to be lovely”.

Contact Stargazing Guy for any copyright-related requests or queries @ stargazer1@stargazingguy.co.uk

“… we watched the stars …”

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