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A giant cloud in outer space, a nebula.
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This one is called the Horsehead Nebula.
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Nebulae, made mostly of gas
and dust, do resemble clouds.
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The Eagle Nebula features these
three pillars of creation.
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Just the tip of one of those horns
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is big enough to accommodate
our entire solar system.
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The Carina Nebula.
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Space is by no means an empty vacuum.
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It's filled with interstellar
gases and cosmic dust.
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When the gases and dust clump together,
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the result is a nebula.
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Obtaining distinct images of these nebulae
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has been one of the great contributions
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of the Hubble Space Telescope.
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The Hubble has devoted over 100 hours
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to the observation of one
nebula in particular.
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Winter is the time when
the constellation Orion
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shines forth most beautifully
in the northern hemisphere.
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Connect the dots of the
constellation's stars,
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and you get the figure of Orion,
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a hunter described in Greek myth.
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Below the three stars of Orion's Belt,
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you can spot the edge of his sword.
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That's what Hubble focused on.
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This Mosaic combines 100
plus images of that region,
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pieced together over a two-year period.
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What emerges is a detailed
picture of the Orion Nebula.
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It's enormous.
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Just the vertical dimension, as shown here,
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extends 12 light years.
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At its center, four young stars,
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each equivalent in mass to
more than 15 of our suns,
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form the main components of a
cluster called the Trapezium.
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The sheer brilliance of the Trapezium
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lights up the Orion Nebula
in a blaze of glory.
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It is said that at one time or another,
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every telescope in the
world has been trained
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on the Orion Nebula.
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It's thought to hold the key to a riddle
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everyone wants to solve:
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How stars are born.
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If one really could voyage into the depths
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of the Orion Nebula,
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what sort of cosmic scenery would unfold?
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With Robert O'Dell as our expert guide,
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let's go sight-seeing ourselves.
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The Lick Observatory is
located in the mountains
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just east of San Jose, California.
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A century ago, it boasted the
first telescope in the world
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to be erected on a mountain top.
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And in 1963, it was here
that Robert O'Dell,
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then a newly-minted college professor,
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made his first professional observation
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of the Orion Nebula.
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Hola.
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These are two of O'Dell's former students
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and research assistants.
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Very pleased to see you.
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Manuel Peimbert Sierra
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became a university professor himself
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and still conducts research
on the Orion Nebula.
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His wife, Sylvia Torres Peimbert,
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also does nebula research
at the university.
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And Mount Hamilton's
such a beautiful sight.
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Right.
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The most interesting thing is that
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it is the star-forming region
that is closest to us.
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And therefore it has been
studied very thoroughly.
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We can know more details about it
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than that we can learn
from other gaseous nebula.
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It's a Rosetta Stone or a cornerstone
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for the study of the universe.
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And in addition to that,
it's very beautiful.
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So if you see the images of Orion,
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many of the amateur astronomers
get in love with astronomy
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by looking at the Orion Nebula.
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The three astronomers used to come here
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every winter to conduct
their own observations.
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The Orion Nebula appears
at first to lie within
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the Orion Constellation,
but actually, it does not.
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The nebula's farther away,
1,500 light years from Earth.
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And since it's located in a
different part of the night sky
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from the star-rich Milky Way,
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it's relatively easy to observe.
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Wow.
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The telescope looks the same,
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00:07:01,906 --> 00:07:06,906
but like us, maybe the joke's
that it's a little older,
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and it has been 50 years
older and out in the cold.
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It looks like
a movie of the '40s.
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Yes.
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Then of course there's the clinician.
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These yellowed pages.
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Wow.
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Odell still carefully preserves
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his observation logs from his early days.
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Our first observations of Orion
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were made in October of '63.
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Wow!
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Really, that's astounding!
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00:08:02,516 --> 00:08:04,726
During these observations,
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O'Dell realized something important.
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It was the key to a major discovery later.
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O'Dell made a study of the composition
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of the gases in the Orion Nebula.
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He noticed small amounts of cosmic dust
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mixed in with the gases.
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Differentiating gas and
dust proved crucial.
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A nebula is comprised mostly
of hydrogen and helium gas.
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The gases concentrate into
light-emitting stars,
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like our sun.
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But there's dust too.
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Matter such as silicon and nitrogen,
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and all this dust turns out to be crucial
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to the creation of planets such as Earth.
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It just caused a fundamental change
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in how people looked at these regions
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where stars were formed.
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If they didn't have dust in them,
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then you'd probably only form a star
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and might never actually
form planets around them.
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By observing the Orion Nebula,
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O'Dell realized he ought
to be able to witness
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the birth of both stars and planets.
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He's been doing just that for 50 years.
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O'Dell was just 13 years old
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when he first saw the Orion Nebula.
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He says he saw it as just a hazy mist.
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Neither of O'Dell's parents
had much schooling.
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They worked all their lives.
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But O'Dell says they were determined
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that their children would be well-educated.
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The family's finances were precarious,
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but they scraped together
enough to buy this book
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on how to make your own telescope.
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Using cardboard boxes and other
materials close to hand,
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the young O'Dell managed to construct
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a working telescope.
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With it, he saw the Orion Nebula.
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Looking at things yourself
that were beyond the Earth
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seemed fascinating.
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The ability to essentially
travel outside the Earth
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for the price of building your telescope
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just seemed wonderful.
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00:11:08,750 --> 00:11:10,109
O'Dell wanted to view
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the Orion Nebula in greater detail,
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and he began to take steps to
make that dream a reality.
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In 1969, the American Apollo Program
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succeeded in landing men on the moon.
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By the 1970s, NASA was vigorously pursuing
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new objectives in space development.
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A team was assembled to
develop a new project.
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The team included just one
astronomer, Robert O'Dell.
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Recruited into NASA from academia,
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the ex-professor became one
of the chief advocates
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of an extraordinary plan,
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to put a large optical
telescope into Earth orbit.
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O'Dell's friend at the time, Lyman Spitzer,
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had already proposed the concept
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of a space-based telescope.
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The two of them often
conferred on the subject.
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In 1977, three decades after
Spitzer's original proposal,
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construction began on the
Hubble Space Telescope.
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The primary mirror was 2.4 meters across.
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In addition to acting as project scientist,
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O'Dell personally took charge
of the design and development
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of some of the instruments
critical to observation,
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the telescope's cameras.
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This one, about the size and
shape of a grand piano,
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was Hubble's main camera.
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In space, where there are no
atmospheric fluctuations,
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this camera could take
images of unprecedented
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clarity and detail.
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Three, two, one, and liftoff!
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In April 1990, a space shuttle
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finally lifted off with the
Hubble Space Telescope aboard.
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O'Dell and two daughters
witnessed the launch.
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It's a very emotional experience,
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because at that time I had
been working on the Hubble,
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first as an adviser for 19 years.
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The Hubble Space Telescope was deployed
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into a low Earth orbit of 600 kilometers.
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A month after launch, Hubble
sent back its first images.
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But everyone's great
expectations were dashed.
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Hubble's fuzzy images proved no better
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than those taken from Earth.
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Pretty horrible.
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Just the shock of knowing
that something was wrong.
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After the expense of vast sums of money
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and 20 years of labor,
the scientist's dreams
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seemed lost in space.
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O'Dell and his colleagues
now searched desperately
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for the cause of the aberration.
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They found that the primary mirror
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had been shaped too flat
toward the outside.
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The deviation measured 0.0003 millimeters.
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At this point, there was no way
to replace that huge mirror.
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In December of 1993, a
space shuttle was sent up
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to service Hubble, an attempt to convert
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despair back into hope.
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One servicing objective was to swap out
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that main camera array for a new one
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that O'Dell helped design.
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It included optics modified
to help compensate
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for the telescope's misshaped mirror.
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20 days later, Hubble sent back new images.
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This is how Hubble saw Galaxy
M100 before servicing.
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And this is after servicing.
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A much clearer picture of a galaxy
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more than 52 million
light years from Earth.
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Never before had a galaxy so far away
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been observed so distinctly.
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It was perfect.
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It was better than the contract called for,
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which we knew it should be
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before this problem with the test device.
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So it was great.
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It is as good a telescope image-wise
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as a telescope of that size can be.
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With a new lease on life,
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the Hubble Space Telescope
opened one new window
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after another onto the
mysteries of our universe.
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Hubble was now repaired, and even enhanced
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with corrective optics, but
O'Dell's own research plans
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ran into a new snag.
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Hubble Telescope time
was strictly rationed.
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Priority went to those who
had contributed the most
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to its development or who
had already achieved
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00:17:24,181 --> 00:17:27,951
distinction in astronomy.
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Despite his own early advocacy
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00:17:31,121 --> 00:17:34,660
and his role in Hubble's
development and deployment,
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O'Dell himself had been granted
no telescope time at all.
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O'Dell had devoted 20 years to this project
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because he wanted a better
view of the Orion Nebula.
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Now others were getting first use
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of the revolutionary telescope
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he had worked so hard to deploy.
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00:17:57,861 --> 00:17:59,811
It was hard on him.
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Around that time, a meeting
was held by the astronomers
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who had been granted
telescope time on Hubble.
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After the meeting was finished,
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O'Dell was handed an oblong plate of metal.
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This is one of my most prized possessions.
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00:18:29,831 --> 00:18:33,451
It's now a plaque decorating his office.
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The inscription, signed by 50 scientists
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who had been given time on the Hubble,
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00:18:44,421 --> 00:18:46,360
reads as follows:
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"To Bob O'Dell, for outstanding
service 1973-1983,"
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00:18:52,661 --> 00:18:57,661
"we award a guarantee of
Space Telescope time."
249
00:18:59,941 --> 00:19:04,941
Unknown to me, the 50-odd scientists
250
00:19:05,761 --> 00:19:10,761
who did have guaranteed time,
voluntarily each gave me
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00:19:12,001 --> 00:19:15,600
part of their time, and collectively,
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00:19:15,601 --> 00:19:19,450
they gave me the same level of this reward.
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It was an absolute surprise to me,
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00:19:22,651 --> 00:19:25,461
just a wonderful surprise.
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00:19:27,551 --> 00:19:29,350
Collectively, O'Dell's colleagues
256
00:19:29,351 --> 00:19:32,410
had given him some 40 hours of work time
257
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on the Hubble Space Telescope.
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00:19:35,071 --> 00:19:37,690
But O'Dell himself had a generous plan
259
00:19:37,691 --> 00:19:40,221
for 20 of those hours.
260
00:19:41,611 --> 00:19:46,611
That one half I offered to
Professor Lyman Spitzer,
261
00:19:47,831 --> 00:19:49,770
who was a personal friend,
262
00:19:49,771 --> 00:19:54,230
and who was the person who
had originated the concept
263
00:19:54,231 --> 00:19:56,981
of the Hubble Space Telescope.
264
00:19:58,391 --> 00:20:00,870
Spitzer had similarly been left out
265
00:20:00,871 --> 00:20:03,430
of the initial award of observation time
266
00:20:03,431 --> 00:20:06,521
on the Hubble Telescope.
267
00:20:10,611 --> 00:20:13,830
Now the two visionary
men with 20 hours each
268
00:20:13,831 --> 00:20:16,050
could realize their personal dreams
269
00:20:16,051 --> 00:20:19,361
of using a space-based observatory.
270
00:20:24,211 --> 00:20:26,090
After that first servicing mission,
271
00:20:26,091 --> 00:20:27,590
Hubble still needed adjustments
272
00:20:27,591 --> 00:20:30,581
before observations could begin formally.
273
00:20:34,931 --> 00:20:37,770
The Orion Nebula, which
is large and bright,
274
00:20:37,771 --> 00:20:40,421
was chosen as a target for testing.
275
00:20:44,071 --> 00:20:46,170
O'Dell knew about that and requested
276
00:20:46,171 --> 00:20:49,091
a highly-specific imaging target.
277
00:20:52,191 --> 00:20:54,160
It was a region he had become interested in
278
00:20:54,161 --> 00:20:58,271
during his work at the Lick Observatory.
279
00:20:59,921 --> 00:21:01,640
This is the test image O'Dell took
280
00:21:01,641 --> 00:21:03,971
of the Orion Nebula.
281
00:21:06,761 --> 00:21:08,960
There was something in the vivid image
282
00:21:08,961 --> 00:21:10,791
that astonished him.
283
00:21:13,441 --> 00:21:15,680
Of course we were very concerned
284
00:21:15,681 --> 00:21:18,980
that this was some type of artifact
285
00:21:18,981 --> 00:21:23,981
introduced by the computer program,
286
00:21:24,101 --> 00:21:29,101
but once we became confident
that the images we were getting
287
00:21:29,401 --> 00:21:34,300
were good ones, then just
like that it was clear
288
00:21:34,301 --> 00:21:35,720
what we were seeing,
289
00:21:35,721 --> 00:21:40,560
that we were seeing protoplanetary disk
290
00:21:40,561 --> 00:21:42,731
around other stars.
291
00:21:43,941 --> 00:21:46,380
It did look potentially like gaseous clouds
292
00:21:46,381 --> 00:21:49,051
whose shape had altered by chance.
293
00:21:51,341 --> 00:21:53,750
However, since this was the Orion Nebula,
294
00:21:53,751 --> 00:21:55,710
where cosmic dust was present,
295
00:21:55,711 --> 00:21:58,480
the image could be showing
the birth of planets.
296
00:21:58,481 --> 00:22:01,410
O'Dell became convinced
that indeed this image
297
00:22:01,411 --> 00:22:05,161
recorded the very moment of their creation.
298
00:22:09,611 --> 00:22:13,470
In 1994 O'Dell was finally
able to use the Hubble time
299
00:22:13,471 --> 00:22:15,810
he had been given by his colleagues
300
00:22:15,811 --> 00:22:18,170
to conduct whatever observations he wished
301
00:22:18,171 --> 00:22:19,592
of the Orion Nebula.
302
00:22:26,712 --> 00:22:29,183
This was his earlier test image.
303
00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:36,690
Now O'Dell was able to examine
a region ten times larger.
304
00:22:38,700 --> 00:22:41,399
Four stars shine brightly near its center.
305
00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,650
The heart of a star cluster
called the Trapezium.
306
00:22:45,660 --> 00:22:47,501
Let's take a closer look.
307
00:22:56,691 --> 00:22:59,410
A cocoon-like form emerges,
308
00:22:59,411 --> 00:23:04,411
the kernel of a star
enveloped in gas and dust.
309
00:23:07,291 --> 00:23:09,110
It's even more distinct than the image
310
00:23:09,111 --> 00:23:11,561
obtained during the test.
311
00:23:16,271 --> 00:23:18,110
And the new image can be processed
312
00:23:18,111 --> 00:23:20,921
and refined further still.
313
00:23:24,151 --> 00:23:27,310
There's something inside that cocoon,
314
00:23:27,311 --> 00:23:29,401
but what exactly is it?
315
00:23:35,701 --> 00:23:38,650
A star like our sun emerges
as a concentration
316
00:23:38,651 --> 00:23:41,721
of gases in space.
317
00:23:45,912 --> 00:23:48,891
Eventually the central portion
of the gas concentration
318
00:23:48,892 --> 00:23:52,628
heats up and a protostar takes shape.
319
00:23:52,629 --> 00:23:56,098
Swirling around it is a disk
of gas and dust that can,
320
00:23:56,099 --> 00:23:58,868
in time, become planets.
321
00:23:58,869 --> 00:24:03,469
It's a dynamic situation, to say the least.
322
00:24:09,739 --> 00:24:11,238
From the center of the disk
323
00:24:11,239 --> 00:24:14,978
erupts a perpendicular
jet of stellar material.
324
00:24:14,979 --> 00:24:17,338
It is so powerful, it extends trillions
325
00:24:17,339 --> 00:24:20,249
of kilometers into space.
326
00:24:25,019 --> 00:24:28,098
The potentially planet-forming
swirl of gas and dust
327
00:24:28,099 --> 00:24:33,099
is called a protoplanetary disk, proplyd.
328
00:24:38,418 --> 00:24:41,077
The dust surrounding the protostar combines
329
00:24:41,078 --> 00:24:43,177
with other dust particles,
330
00:24:43,178 --> 00:24:46,328
combining into larger bodies.
331
00:24:52,698 --> 00:24:55,217
Gravitational forces assist this process
332
00:24:55,218 --> 00:24:58,117
of repeated collision and amalgamation,
333
00:24:58,118 --> 00:25:03,108
and eventually planets are
born, like our own, Earth.
334
00:25:05,238 --> 00:25:06,917
At the core of the protostar,
335
00:25:06,918 --> 00:25:09,557
nuclear fusion sets in,
producing tremendous
336
00:25:09,558 --> 00:25:11,857
amounts of heat and light.
337
00:25:11,858 --> 00:25:15,237
All that force blasts away
the remaining nearby gases.
338
00:25:15,238 --> 00:25:20,238
What's left is a new solitary
star glowing in space.
339
00:25:22,718 --> 00:25:27,317
Its stellar jet and a proplyd
or protoplanetary disk,
340
00:25:27,318 --> 00:25:30,737
carrying the raw materials
of future planets,
341
00:25:30,738 --> 00:25:34,288
all enveloped in a cocoon of gas and dust.
342
00:25:35,638 --> 00:25:37,797
The proplyd thus occurs in the stage prior
343
00:25:37,798 --> 00:25:41,908
to the birth of planets like
those in our own solar system.
344
00:25:45,598 --> 00:25:47,557
A number of proplyds have been discovered
345
00:25:47,558 --> 00:25:49,857
in the Orion Nebula.
346
00:25:49,858 --> 00:25:52,837
But their shapes and
colors are quite varied.
347
00:25:52,838 --> 00:25:54,550
Why should this be so?
348
00:25:56,390 --> 00:25:58,429
This graphic provides a sideways look
349
00:25:58,430 --> 00:26:01,029
at the Orion Nebula.
350
00:26:01,030 --> 00:26:04,329
The stars being born in that
concave part facing Earth,
351
00:26:04,330 --> 00:26:08,569
generate heat and light which
illuminate the cloud beyond.
352
00:26:08,570 --> 00:26:11,989
A thin curtain of gas and
dust called Orion's Veil
353
00:26:11,990 --> 00:26:16,420
partially covers this star
and planet-producing region.
354
00:26:19,330 --> 00:26:21,589
So when the bright light of Theta 1-C
355
00:26:21,590 --> 00:26:23,749
shines on a proplyd behind it,
356
00:26:23,750 --> 00:26:25,649
the proplyd and its cocoon of gases
357
00:26:25,650 --> 00:26:29,140
are fully lit and clearly visible.
358
00:26:31,690 --> 00:26:33,969
In this case, with the proplyd more toward
359
00:26:33,970 --> 00:26:37,229
the front and side, the
gases appear to trail away
360
00:26:37,230 --> 00:26:39,280
from Theta 1-C.
361
00:26:40,890 --> 00:26:43,929
Here light from Theta 1-C is screened out
362
00:26:43,930 --> 00:26:45,889
by the gases of the proplyd,
363
00:26:45,890 --> 00:26:48,489
so we see the proplyd in silhouette,
364
00:26:48,490 --> 00:26:51,980
with its own protostar
glowing red in the center.
365
00:26:55,350 --> 00:26:57,229
So the apparent differences
among the proplyds
366
00:26:57,230 --> 00:27:01,320
depend on their location.
367
00:27:02,210 --> 00:27:04,789
Once O'Dell understood these differences,
368
00:27:04,790 --> 00:27:06,449
he was able to determine the structure
369
00:27:06,450 --> 00:27:08,940
of the Orion Nebula itself.
370
00:27:14,210 --> 00:27:16,949
In 2004, O'Dell was able to conduct
371
00:27:16,950 --> 00:27:19,789
an unprecedented large-scale observation
372
00:27:19,790 --> 00:27:22,480
of the Orion Nebula.
373
00:27:24,170 --> 00:27:26,089
This was his previous image.
374
00:27:26,090 --> 00:27:30,209
Now he expanded the area
under observation ten-fold,
375
00:27:30,210 --> 00:27:32,129
utilizing the Hubble Space Telescope
376
00:27:32,130 --> 00:27:36,189
for more than 100 hours, he
took more than 100 images.
377
00:27:36,190 --> 00:27:40,029
Then he spent two years piecing
them together precisely.
378
00:27:40,030 --> 00:27:43,980
The final image is a square
12 light years on a side.
379
00:27:47,110 --> 00:27:51,189
Swirling gases glow vividly
with reflected light.
380
00:27:51,190 --> 00:27:55,280
Here and there can be seen newborn stars.
381
00:28:00,130 --> 00:28:03,149
The same composite image
reveals new proplyds,
382
00:28:03,150 --> 00:28:06,749
the disk of gas and dust
enveloping this protostar
383
00:28:06,750 --> 00:28:08,949
shows in dramatic silhouette,
384
00:28:08,950 --> 00:28:12,060
thanks to light from an established star.
385
00:28:21,230 --> 00:28:23,529
More than 200 proplyds have been observed
386
00:28:23,530 --> 00:28:26,269
in the Nebula so far.
387
00:28:26,270 --> 00:28:29,429
Many stars can be seen in the
very moment of their birth,
388
00:28:29,430 --> 00:28:34,430
making the Orion Nebula a
precious stellar nursery.
389
00:28:46,111 --> 00:28:51,111
This is Mexico's Baja California peninsula.
390
00:28:52,631 --> 00:28:55,230
Located in the northwest of the country,
391
00:28:55,231 --> 00:28:58,241
it extends deep into the Pacific Ocean.
392
00:29:06,331 --> 00:29:09,290
On a 2,800 meter-high mountain peak here
393
00:29:09,291 --> 00:29:13,349
is located the country's National
Astronomical Observatory,
394
00:29:13,350 --> 00:29:18,100
operated by the National
Autonomous University of Mexico.
395
00:29:23,970 --> 00:29:26,589
For a number of years now, this observatory
396
00:29:26,590 --> 00:29:29,249
in Sierra de San Pedro Martir,
397
00:29:29,250 --> 00:29:33,100
has been O'Dell's home base of operations.
398
00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:40,659
Here, together with theoretical
physicist William Henney,
399
00:29:40,660 --> 00:29:43,199
O'Dell has been studying
the behavior of gases
400
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:45,080
in the Orion Nebula.
401
00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:48,930
They have made a new discovery.
402
00:29:50,220 --> 00:29:52,259
In the images taken by Hubble,
403
00:29:52,260 --> 00:29:57,179
O'Dell noticed unusual
forms resembling ripples.
404
00:29:57,180 --> 00:30:02,171
This is the first image ever
showing cosmic shock waves.
405
00:30:09,501 --> 00:30:11,840
These are bow shock waves,
406
00:30:11,841 --> 00:30:13,720
phenomena created, it is believed,
407
00:30:13,721 --> 00:30:15,920
by the jets of gas and dust
408
00:30:15,921 --> 00:30:20,211
erupting from the newly-formed protostars.
409
00:30:24,861 --> 00:30:26,860
O'Dell found many of them occurring
410
00:30:26,861 --> 00:30:29,871
in the presence of protostars.
411
00:30:33,781 --> 00:30:38,781
Bow shocks are where gas
is pushing against gas,
412
00:30:41,281 --> 00:30:46,281
and it forms a thin layer that is heated up
413
00:30:46,381 --> 00:30:49,231
and become very visible.
414
00:30:51,201 --> 00:30:53,260
Over a long period of time,
415
00:30:53,261 --> 00:30:56,460
the bow shocks spread out like ripples.
416
00:30:56,461 --> 00:30:58,800
O'Dell has been cataloging
the various patterns
417
00:30:58,801 --> 00:31:00,971
they form as they spread.
418
00:31:08,581 --> 00:31:11,980
The largest telescope at San
Pedro Martir Observatory
419
00:31:11,981 --> 00:31:15,100
has an aperture of 2.1 meters.
420
00:31:15,101 --> 00:31:17,400
It was equipped with an
excellent spectrometer,
421
00:31:17,401 --> 00:31:21,071
specifically in order to observe
interstellar shock waves.
422
00:31:24,421 --> 00:31:26,880
By comparing and analyzing
images from the Hubble
423
00:31:26,881 --> 00:31:29,820
and San Pedro Martir Observatories,
424
00:31:29,821 --> 00:31:31,880
O'Dell and his colleague
were able to determine
425
00:31:31,881 --> 00:31:35,431
the speed and direction
of some of the bow waves.
426
00:31:40,981 --> 00:31:43,980
Things are moving in Orion.
427
00:31:43,981 --> 00:31:48,981
And what we found was that these objects,
428
00:31:50,801 --> 00:31:52,900
where you see the lines,
429
00:31:52,901 --> 00:31:57,901
are moving in space, and
we see this all over,
430
00:31:59,841 --> 00:32:04,841
and they're all expanding
away from a region
431
00:32:04,881 --> 00:32:07,181
here in the middle.
432
00:32:08,521 --> 00:32:11,480
The shock waves originate
in a specific region.
433
00:32:11,481 --> 00:32:13,920
That's where the protostars
producing the shock waves
434
00:32:13,921 --> 00:32:16,451
tend to be concentrated.
435
00:32:20,021 --> 00:32:22,640
It's like a star factory, turning them out
436
00:32:22,641 --> 00:32:24,631
one after another.
437
00:32:29,121 --> 00:32:33,911
O'Dell has dubbed this region Orion South.
438
00:32:35,921 --> 00:32:38,820
Orion South is a region of dense gases
439
00:32:38,821 --> 00:32:42,511
to the lower right of the
Trapezium in this image.
440
00:32:44,021 --> 00:32:45,731
The stars born here spread out
441
00:32:45,732 --> 00:32:49,102
into the Orion Nebula.
442
00:32:55,652 --> 00:32:59,351
We knew that something was going on
443
00:32:59,352 --> 00:33:04,211
inside that region, that is that that was
444
00:33:04,212 --> 00:33:07,762
a new area of star formation.
445
00:33:12,152 --> 00:33:13,491
O'Dell is now at work
446
00:33:13,492 --> 00:33:15,391
at what will be the crowning glory
447
00:33:15,392 --> 00:33:18,761
of a 50-year career in astronomy.
448
00:33:18,762 --> 00:33:22,742
And there's a deep connection
to a cherished hobby.
449
00:33:26,992 --> 00:33:29,411
O'Dell loves to work with his hands.
450
00:33:29,412 --> 00:33:32,991
Everything from building
telescopes to cooking.
451
00:33:32,992 --> 00:33:35,731
One of his hobbies was an unusual one.
452
00:33:35,732 --> 00:33:39,331
Over the years, his wife Sally
could not entirely escape
453
00:33:39,332 --> 00:33:41,991
being involved in it.
454
00:33:41,992 --> 00:33:43,231
And then one of the problems was
455
00:33:43,232 --> 00:33:48,232
he loves to fly, and he had an airplane.
456
00:33:48,452 --> 00:33:51,051
I barely do big jets.
457
00:33:51,052 --> 00:33:55,882
I mean, I am a basket case
before I get on an airplane.
458
00:33:55,883 --> 00:33:58,462
So I did fly with him a few times,
459
00:33:58,463 --> 00:34:02,953
but he could tell I was really nervous.
460
00:34:04,823 --> 00:34:07,362
O'Dell didn't just pilot airplanes,
461
00:34:07,363 --> 00:34:11,653
he built his own, and he flew them.
462
00:34:12,663 --> 00:34:17,573
He also became skilled in aerobatics.
463
00:34:18,903 --> 00:34:21,022
He participated in competitions
464
00:34:21,023 --> 00:34:23,262
and won many prizes.
465
00:34:23,263 --> 00:34:25,202
That engineering knowledge and skill
466
00:34:25,203 --> 00:34:27,182
also found expression in his work
467
00:34:27,183 --> 00:34:31,133
to get the Hubble Space
Telescope up and flying.
468
00:34:34,903 --> 00:34:37,682
O'Dell no longer pilots planes himself,
469
00:34:37,683 --> 00:34:39,902
but he does dream of flying at will
470
00:34:39,903 --> 00:34:42,453
through the Orion Nebula.
471
00:34:44,263 --> 00:34:46,022
To make that new dream a reality,
472
00:34:46,023 --> 00:34:49,162
he's compiling a virtual
3-D map of the Nebula,
473
00:34:49,163 --> 00:34:50,993
and he's excited about it.
474
00:34:51,723 --> 00:34:56,723
There is a
rush, no doubt about it.
475
00:34:57,643 --> 00:35:02,643
It just, to me the freedom of motion,
476
00:35:02,883 --> 00:35:05,762
of moving in three dimensions,
477
00:35:05,763 --> 00:35:09,003
which we don't have as humans.
478
00:35:11,203 --> 00:35:12,802
The most difficult part of converting
479
00:35:12,803 --> 00:35:15,472
telescope images into a 3-D map
480
00:35:15,473 --> 00:35:18,573
is determining distances precisely.
481
00:35:18,574 --> 00:35:19,713
We know the Orion Nebula
482
00:35:19,714 --> 00:35:22,473
is 1,500 light years away from us,
483
00:35:22,474 --> 00:35:25,153
but we have had no way of
measuring the topography
484
00:35:25,154 --> 00:35:26,604
within the Nebula.
485
00:35:29,614 --> 00:35:31,493
What looks like a flat surface
486
00:35:31,494 --> 00:35:34,684
must be as complex as a mountain range.
487
00:35:38,014 --> 00:35:41,153
O'Dell relies greatly on
Gary Ferland's expertise
488
00:35:41,154 --> 00:35:44,204
in theoretical astrophysics.
489
00:35:45,014 --> 00:35:48,033
On the other side of this
great big molecular cloud.
490
00:35:48,034 --> 00:35:50,533
One of the simplest things you've done
491
00:35:50,534 --> 00:35:53,773
is the thing that to me
has been most useful,
492
00:35:53,774 --> 00:35:56,593
because that's what allowed us to determine
493
00:35:56,594 --> 00:35:59,293
that this was a big bowl here,
494
00:35:59,294 --> 00:36:01,813
and that this part over here
495
00:36:01,814 --> 00:36:06,814
was like a canyon, a
straight wall along here.
496
00:36:12,814 --> 00:36:14,653
Ferland developed a special method
497
00:36:14,654 --> 00:36:19,654
to be used in building a 3-D
computer model of the nebula.
498
00:36:22,434 --> 00:36:25,933
Here's my coffee cup, a
beautiful coffee cup.
499
00:36:25,934 --> 00:36:28,193
In astronomy, we can look at things,
500
00:36:28,194 --> 00:36:30,473
but we can not do that.
501
00:36:30,474 --> 00:36:33,233
We can not look in different directions.
502
00:36:33,234 --> 00:36:38,234
So we have to find very, very clever ways
503
00:36:39,234 --> 00:36:41,574
to do that sort of thing.
504
00:36:44,964 --> 00:36:46,694
Ferland discovered a correlation
505
00:36:46,695 --> 00:36:48,834
between the brightness of a star
506
00:36:48,835 --> 00:36:51,674
and the brightness of the nebula behind it.
507
00:36:51,675 --> 00:36:54,414
And from that, he can
figure out how to calculate
508
00:36:54,415 --> 00:36:57,405
the shape of the nebula.
509
00:37:02,975 --> 00:37:06,314
For example, here are two
stars of equal brightness,
510
00:37:06,315 --> 00:37:09,434
but one has a bright nebula background,
511
00:37:09,435 --> 00:37:13,926
and the other a rather dark background.
512
00:37:18,676 --> 00:37:20,415
The difference is due to
the different distance
513
00:37:20,416 --> 00:37:23,575
between each star and the nebula.
514
00:37:23,576 --> 00:37:25,355
Ferland detects slight differences
515
00:37:25,356 --> 00:37:26,795
in background brightness
516
00:37:26,796 --> 00:37:28,275
and combines those findings
517
00:37:28,276 --> 00:37:31,926
to develop the three-dimensional
shape of the nebula.
518
00:37:33,116 --> 00:37:35,395
Too much and often in astronomy,
519
00:37:35,396 --> 00:37:37,835
we just get the two-dimensional image,
520
00:37:37,836 --> 00:37:41,475
like a still picture on the sky,
521
00:37:41,476 --> 00:37:43,135
and we live such a short time,
522
00:37:43,136 --> 00:37:46,115
only 100 years, we don't
see things changing.
523
00:37:46,116 --> 00:37:47,815
But actually what's going on out there
524
00:37:47,816 --> 00:37:50,795
is very dynamic, things are happening,
525
00:37:50,796 --> 00:37:55,275
it's very three dimensional
and beautiful to look at.
526
00:37:55,276 --> 00:37:57,875
And this fly-through makes it possible
527
00:37:57,876 --> 00:38:00,135
for a person to actually
see what it would be like
528
00:38:00,136 --> 00:38:02,155
if we could build star
ship and go out there
529
00:38:02,156 --> 00:38:04,846
and see what's going on.
530
00:38:06,876 --> 00:38:09,555
Using this method,
531
00:38:09,556 --> 00:38:12,635
O'Dell was able to clarify
the three-dimensional shape
532
00:38:12,636 --> 00:38:15,375
of the Orion Nebula.
533
00:38:15,376 --> 00:38:18,075
If he could travel through
the nebula himself,
534
00:38:18,076 --> 00:38:21,306
he knows where he wants to go.
535
00:38:23,336 --> 00:38:27,335
Actually there are two
places I'd like to go.
536
00:38:27,336 --> 00:38:31,675
One is close to one of
the particular proplyds,
537
00:38:31,676 --> 00:38:34,935
but one that's a very spectacular object.
538
00:38:34,936 --> 00:38:39,275
It would be spectacular to visit.
539
00:38:39,276 --> 00:38:41,835
The other region would be in the veil,
540
00:38:41,836 --> 00:38:45,826
the part that we can see most clearly
541
00:38:45,827 --> 00:38:50,386
by the kind of dark thumb
that points in on the left
542
00:38:50,387 --> 00:38:52,266
from the pictures.
543
00:38:52,267 --> 00:38:56,186
The idea of going to a stellar nursery
544
00:38:56,187 --> 00:38:59,717
at its earliest stages
would be very attractive.
545
00:39:02,707 --> 00:39:05,906
All aboard, the O'Dell Orion Tour
546
00:39:05,907 --> 00:39:08,127
is ready for departure.
547
00:39:15,707 --> 00:39:20,206
The Orion Nebula, glowing blue and green,
548
00:39:20,207 --> 00:39:24,017
a shimmering cloud in deep space.
549
00:39:28,007 --> 00:39:30,506
We can't see it like this from Earth,
550
00:39:30,507 --> 00:39:32,766
but in the computer, we can approach it
551
00:39:32,767 --> 00:39:34,437
on its own level.
552
00:39:39,567 --> 00:39:44,567
This central area is one light year across.
553
00:39:47,687 --> 00:39:49,846
At the bottom of a giant concavity
554
00:39:49,847 --> 00:39:53,586
shine the four main stars of the Trapezium.
555
00:39:53,587 --> 00:39:57,857
Shock waves ripple all
about this great basin.
556
00:40:02,587 --> 00:40:07,587
We approach the dark veil,
dense with gases and dust.
557
00:40:08,027 --> 00:40:12,217
Our eyes can not penetrate this darkness.
558
00:40:14,567 --> 00:40:16,986
It is in such dark regions, however,
559
00:40:16,987 --> 00:40:19,477
that stars are born.
560
00:40:21,747 --> 00:40:26,597
Now we're flying over a
shimmering cloud canyon.
561
00:40:27,527 --> 00:40:30,386
Off to one side are the
four brightest stars
562
00:40:30,387 --> 00:40:31,926
of the Trapezium,
563
00:40:31,927 --> 00:40:35,746
the Orion Nebula's main
source of illumination.
564
00:40:35,747 --> 00:40:38,726
The very brightest of them, Theta 1-C,
565
00:40:38,727 --> 00:40:42,486
is 100,000 times brighter than our sun.
566
00:40:42,487 --> 00:40:44,277
The surrounding gases are heated
567
00:40:44,278 --> 00:40:47,508
to 1 million degrees Celsius.
568
00:40:49,418 --> 00:40:53,017
Now, a new cloudy mass comes into view.
569
00:40:53,018 --> 00:40:57,177
This is the star factory
O'Dell calls Orion South,
570
00:40:57,178 --> 00:40:58,257
and it's one of the places
571
00:40:58,258 --> 00:41:01,057
on his personal sight-seeing list.
572
00:41:01,058 --> 00:41:04,117
It used to be considered a
hilly region of the nebula,
573
00:41:04,118 --> 00:41:06,677
but O'Dell's latest research shows it
574
00:41:06,678 --> 00:41:09,708
to be a detached structure.
575
00:41:16,158 --> 00:41:18,777
Another sight O'Dell wanted to see close up
576
00:41:18,778 --> 00:41:22,217
is one of the proplyds
or protoplanetary disks
577
00:41:22,218 --> 00:41:26,117
of gas and dust, centered on a newborn star
578
00:41:26,118 --> 00:41:29,057
with a stellar jet erupting perpendicularly
579
00:41:29,058 --> 00:41:31,377
in both directions.
580
00:41:31,378 --> 00:41:33,637
This proplyd is donut-shaped.
581
00:41:33,638 --> 00:41:37,117
Within it, a planet like
Earth might be forming.
582
00:41:37,118 --> 00:41:40,968
An entire solar system
could be in the making.
583
00:41:46,298 --> 00:41:51,298
What we can see is only a
portion of the Orion Nebula.
584
00:41:51,318 --> 00:41:56,318
Hidden in its cloudy realms
are over 300 massive stars,
585
00:41:56,838 --> 00:42:00,917
each shining as brightly
as those in the Trapezium.
586
00:42:00,918 --> 00:42:04,958
And even more are continually being formed.
587
00:42:15,638 --> 00:42:17,617
Within one light year of the center,
588
00:42:17,618 --> 00:42:22,618
are some 1,500 newly-minted stars.
589
00:42:26,498 --> 00:42:31,498
The Orion Nebula, a veritable star nursery.
590
00:42:32,998 --> 00:42:35,437
This virtual tour has been the summation
591
00:42:35,438 --> 00:42:38,397
of Robert O'Dell's half century of research
592
00:42:38,398 --> 00:42:41,058
on the Orion Nebula.
593
00:42:57,418 --> 00:42:59,037
And it was spectacular.
594
00:42:59,038 --> 00:43:02,777
You could see those blue stars,
595
00:43:02,778 --> 00:43:07,778
those pale blue stars, the
Trapezium stars in the middle,
596
00:43:07,958 --> 00:43:12,958
and then you look more, and
you can see the collar
597
00:43:14,538 --> 00:43:17,457
and the nebula itself.
598
00:43:17,458 --> 00:43:21,457
It's just an awesome picture.
599
00:43:21,458 --> 00:43:26,458
And it's still vivid in my imagination.
600
00:43:31,938 --> 00:43:33,597
Hubble has already surpassed
601
00:43:33,598 --> 00:43:38,277
its expected 15-year service
life by more than five years,
602
00:43:38,278 --> 00:43:40,377
and it's still sending back a stream
603
00:43:40,378 --> 00:43:43,278
of distinct, vivid images.
604
00:43:44,818 --> 00:43:48,258
As an astronomer, Robert O'Dell
devoted enormous efforts
605
00:43:48,259 --> 00:43:52,058
to making the Hubble Space
Telescope a reality
606
00:43:52,059 --> 00:43:55,218
and to advancing the study
of the Orion Nebula,
607
00:43:55,219 --> 00:43:59,318
the object of his gaze
ever since he was a child.
608
00:43:59,319 --> 00:44:01,758
O'Dell's enthusiasm is
echoed by astronomers
609
00:44:01,759 --> 00:44:04,998
around the world who share in his success
610
00:44:04,999 --> 00:44:07,849
and strive to learn more.
611
00:44:09,239 --> 00:44:11,278
Because there always seems to be
612
00:44:11,279 --> 00:44:16,279
new problems, new things
that we don't understand.
613
00:44:16,319 --> 00:44:19,438
And that's the nature of science,
614
00:44:19,439 --> 00:44:24,138
to learn something, and then
you see there's something
615
00:44:24,139 --> 00:44:26,398
over the fence that you don't understand,
616
00:44:26,399 --> 00:44:30,998
so you move forward, you
answer those questions,
617
00:44:30,999 --> 00:44:34,858
and piece by piece, you
hope you're approaching
618
00:44:34,859 --> 00:44:38,409
the complete picture.
619
00:44:43,439 --> 00:44:45,758
The Orion Nebula is a treasure trove
620
00:44:45,759 --> 00:44:49,809
of both questions and answers.
621
00:44:53,659 --> 00:44:55,658
With every new telescope,
622
00:44:55,659 --> 00:44:57,878
the Orion Nebula will surely be the subject
623
00:44:57,879 --> 00:45:01,309
of further observation.
624
00:45:03,199 --> 00:45:05,438
It will continue to fascinate
625
00:45:05,439 --> 00:45:07,678
as a source of great astonishment
626
00:45:07,679 --> 00:45:09,798
and intriguing mystery,
627
00:45:09,799 --> 00:45:14,249
a challenge and a joy for
generations to come.
48974
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