Re: MyCn18 -- The Hourglass Nebula

Mark Huss Nov 9, 2003

--- In guide-user@yahoogroups.com, "Laurent Zimmermann" <lzmn@s...> wrote:
> Hi Mark,
>
> The central part of M8 is indeed known as "the Hourglass", but not the
> "Hourglass nebula". The Hourglass nebula is a planetary nebula in the
> southern hemisphere constellation Musca.

Oops -- another example of Northern hemisphere bias!! Sorry about that.

> Note that I recently eard of "l'amas de la Chouette", which
translates in
> Owl cluster, about NGC 457 in Cassiopeia. It sounds like the name of
M97 in
> the Big Dipper: Owl nebula. It's true that NGC 457 is a rather
symmetrical
> open cluster, with two brighter stars that look like an owl's eyes.

I've heard this called the Owl and the Lobster, but all I see when I
look at this is E.T. :-)

--mark