What does this image look like to you?
Many see a
giraffe facing right, with neck stretched high and long legs mid-stride (but some may see a
squirrel instead).
The
featured image shows
LDN 1295, also called the Giraffe Nebula, in the
constellation of the mythical queen of
Aethiopia (
Cassiopeia).
It is an object in the
Lynds Catalogue of
Dark Nebulas, compiled in
1962 by American astronomer
Beverly Lynds, a pioneer for women in astronomy and astrophysics.
Dark nebulas are interstellar
clouds of dust and gas that block the visible light of the stars
behind them.
These
nebulas are often faint and challenging targets for astrophotographers.
Why do we see animal shapes and faces in nebulas, clouds, and pretty much
everywhere?
It is due to
pareidolia, our tendency to look for
familiar patterns.
Pareidolia may provide animals with an
evolutionary advantage, for example in identifying (and avoiding) predators.