Hubble Finds Space-Sperm, NASA Politely Dubs it a “Caterpillar”

NASA released this image taken by the Hubble space telescope showing a cloud of gas stretching across a light year of space. That’s huge. The official word from NASA is that it resembles “a caterpillar on its way to a feast,” but I know space-sperm when I see it, and that right there is a six-trillion-mile-long space-sperm.

The gas cloud is being shaped by 65 super-bright O-type stars found 15 light years away in the Cygnus OB2 association. They’re forming the cloud into a sperm “caterpillar” shape with intense ultraviolet radiation. The sperm “caterpillar” is a protostar called IRAS 20324+4057 that is in its very early stage. It’s trying to form into a star, but the radiation from the Cygnus association is preventing that from happening.

Knock it off, Cygnus OB2 association. Let this little sperm caterpillar turn into a star butterfly.

And seriously, look at the Hubble picture. Now here’s a caterpillar:

(image via Robin Cafolla)

Now here’s a sperm:

(Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Call a sperm a sperm, NASA.

(NASA via Space.com, image via NASA/ESA/Hubble)

Meanwhile in related links

• We’re so excited Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos next year. Watch the trailer and get pumped too!
• Looks like Neptune has a 14th moon
• Hubble found a planet forming 7.5 billion miles from its star