I find it amusing that so many of the "Top [insert generic topic of interest here] of 2011" lists come out in October or November, more than a month before the actual end of the year. In fact, the 2012 (yes 2012!) North American Car of the Year has already been determined by Motor Trend, several weeks before the end of 2011! (Though they sort of get a pass since Car manufacturers seems to designate the model years of their cars about 6 months ahead of the actual calendar year.)
In any event, I found myself behind schedule decided to be clever and actually waited until the last week of 2011 to designate my 2011 space image of the year.
Good thing too.
The above image (a larger, printable version can be found here) was released by Hubblesite on December 15, 2011.
From Hubble: The bipolar star-forming region, called Sharpless 2-106, or S106 for short, looks like a soaring, celestial snow angel. The outstretched "wings" of the nebula record the contrasting imprint of heat and motion against the backdrop of a colder medium. Twin lobes of super-hot gas, glowing blue in this image, stretch outward from the central star. This hot gas creates the "wings" of our angel. A ring of dust and gas orbiting the star acts like a belt, cinching the expanding nebula into an "hourglass" shape.
You can find the full details here. Enjoy!
Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), and the Subaru Telescope (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)
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