When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up. It was the 60’s. I remember sitting at my desk and building the Revel Lunar Module model far into the wee hours of the night. If I couldn’t make the trip myself, at least I could be there in spirit when Apollo 11 landed on the moon.
That obviously didn’t happen, so now, to stave off the occasional bout of FOMO and to maintain my unfathomable sense of wonder, I visit NASA’S Astronomy Picture of the Day.
Below is Messier 66. Its name sparked quite a chuckle. As spiral galaxies go, is it any messier than 63, 64, or 65? What about our little Milky Way spilling with stars, planets, gas, and dust? In the little shop of galaxies is some form of intelligence shouting, “Clean up on RA = 17h 45.6m, Dec = -28⁰ 56’ (2000.0)?” I know. Thats a stretch. If this were my stand-up act, I’d be booed off the stage.
In all seriousness, Messier 66 was discovered by a French astronomer, Charles Messier, in 1870 and therefore named after him. 59 ad 60 were discovered in 1779 by Johan Gottfried Koehler, a German astronomer, and four nights later by Charles Messier. I don’t know about Messier 1-58 but this one sounds like someone got sucked into a black hole.
Okay…I hear you…enough!
Just sit back and enjoy this stunning galactic mess(ier)
Messier 66 Close Up Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration. Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin and Robert GendlerAnd Reader? Thank You for stopping by today.
❤️ You are very much appreciated ❤️
Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner 
You had fun with this, Donna. Still a kid at heart
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I try, Derrick. Thanks for pointing this out. I did have fun. And being a cranky old lady only gets me in trouble 🙂
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Yep, 66, what a number. It’s a double 33. 🙂
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Interesting isn’t it? To quote the significance numbers hold, “66 is a profound message sent by the universe. It serves as a reminder of the importance of balance, love, and nurturing in our lives.” Be well Anonymous 🙂
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Beautiful. Oh, so beautiful.
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Thank you, Sandra 🙂
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I get you completely.
I was the 9-year-old who got a Russian:English dictionary for her birthday because she was obsessed with Uri Gagarin and decided to teach herself Russian…
I like puns too, so Messier galaxies hold plenty of appeal. 🙂
In Bulgaria, near Plovdiv, I touched the exterior of one of the capsules that had re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. You might appreciate how amazing that felt – to run my fingers over something that had been to outer space and burned as it fell to Earth!
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OK…now I’m jealous, Jacquie 🙂 I’ll have to visit the Smithsonian to catch up. I did take Russian at Uni, though. Not that this is a competition 🙂
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There are some amazing things to see at the Smithsonian.
Did you learn Russian to become an astronaut?
I don’t remember much Russian, but it’s been handy to be able to read the Cyrillic alphabet to understand road signs on our journeys around countries like Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
I can still order a кофе (pronounced kofe!)
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I was a language major and it seemed the thing to do. I can still read it but have no clue what it means unless it translates as “Too bad. This is the refrigerator. This is the wall. This is the ceiling” and a few other no so useful things 🙂
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For some reason, I remember жук – beetle.
Go figure!
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If Charles had lived in America he would have been bullied unmercifully for his last name! To me, this image reminds me of Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” Truly amazing!
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❤
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Great job! I loved this one! I didn’t know u built a lunar module.
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Thank you! Yup… I loved building all kinds of models.
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