Hubble finds ghostly object in deep space
In a galaxy far, far away: The Hubble Space Telescope has captured this image of Hanny's Voorwerp.
January 11th, 2011
10:04 AM ET

Hubble finds ghostly object in deep space

There's a green blob in space, but unlike a bad science fiction movie, it's not coming to take over Earth. Probably.

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of a green cloud of gas about 650 million light-years from Earth. It's been named Hanny's Voorwerp, Dutch for Hanny's Object.

The object is illuminated by a beam of light from a quasar that may have gone dark 200,000 years ago, according to the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.

The Voorwerp is about the size of our Milky Way galaxy and is part of a 300,000-light-year-long stream of gas, the institute says. The green color is from glowing oxygen.

What appears to be a gaping hole in Hanny's Voorwerp actually may be a shadow cast by an object in the quasar's light path, according to the institute.

"This phenomenon is similar to a fly on a movie projector lens casting a shadow on a movie screen," the institute says.

The object may have been formed by a collision of two galaxies, according to the institute.

But don't worry. It won't bump into our galaxy within our lifetime.

Probably.

 Post by:
Filed under: Space
soundoff (469 Responses)
  1. Michaelene

    Gotta love certainty. Hanny's Constant anyone?

    January 11, 2011 at 10:53 am | Report abuse |
  2. irishcutter21

    This is the space craft that is going to carry the West Boro Baptist Cult members to heaven. Or maybe not.

    January 11, 2011 at 10:53 am | Report abuse |
  3. mk

    again..bologna sandwich smudge....nothing to see here. Go back to work. Wait! What? It's the baby Jesus? LOL

    January 11, 2011 at 10:54 am | Report abuse |
  4. Snide697

    Voorwerp Green ... It's people!!! It's people.........

    January 11, 2011 at 10:55 am | Report abuse |
  5. CNNSUCKS!

    This event was 650 million years ago anyway. Its not there anymore.

    January 11, 2011 at 10:55 am | Report abuse |
  6. Andre

    Does anyone else have Monty Python’s “Galaxy Song” stuck in their head right now?

    January 11, 2011 at 10:56 am | Report abuse |
  7. bailoutsos

    That is the Motari Nebula. I was just there last week.

    January 11, 2011 at 10:56 am | Report abuse |
  8. ss

    Yeah you think CNN mind read the comments and correct the mistake as to not keep looking stupid. 300,000 miles, change it already!!!!!!!!!!!

    January 11, 2011 at 10:57 am | Report abuse |
  9. stevo25

    Lol ok I was like umm our galaxy is 300,000 miles across really til I seen everyone else's post about miscalculation. Lol great job CNN jk, but yea that needs to be fixed cuz 300,000 miles is about the distance from earth to the moon, and yes I know a few already said this and yes I'm saying it again 🙂 yall have an awesome day 🙂

    January 11, 2011 at 10:57 am | Report abuse |
    • Bill

      I'm going to guess them meant 300,000 light years?

      January 11, 2011 at 10:58 am | Report abuse |
  10. Bill

    "300,000-mile-long stream of gas, which is about the size of our Milky Way galaxy, "

    Hello, fact checkers please? Last I heard the earth was 93 million miles from the sun and CNN expects to put the whole milky way in that distance?

    January 11, 2011 at 10:57 am | Report abuse |
    • Snide697

      Hot off the CNN ticker ... the Hubble has found a 250,000 mile wide Mounds and a 423,000 mile Whatchamacalit... Observers are still searching for the fabled 550,000 mile long Twix ....

      January 11, 2011 at 10:59 am | Report abuse |
  11. Tom

    Turns out it's a green booger on the Hubbel Lens

    January 11, 2011 at 10:57 am | Report abuse |
  12. MILKMAID

    Whats the Dutch people doing using Hubble....thats our telescope.

    January 11, 2011 at 10:58 am | Report abuse |
  13. Yikes

    Who sucks bad enough to write articles like this? 300,000 miles? Why do they send the liberal arts major to write an article on astronomy?

    January 11, 2011 at 11:00 am | Report abuse |
  14. LawrenceOfAlabama

    And so begins the Publicity HYPE for "The Green Latern". Still not going to see it.

    January 11, 2011 at 11:00 am | Report abuse |
  15. Andrew

    300,000 miles across? So my car has traveled half the size of Milky Way Galaxy over the course of its life? Right...

    January 11, 2011 at 11:02 am | Report abuse |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
« Back to main