Cosmic Valentines

Give Your Love Something Unique

I love the Hubble Space Telescope image (left) of two interacting galaxies that almost look like a beautifully rendered cosmic rose. The Space Telescope Science Institute released it a few years ago to celebrate the telescope’s 21st anniversary in space. This year is Hubble’s 25th anniversary, so I can’t wait to see what they have in mind to celebrate! The Institute has been doing special Hubble Hangouts (I was in one two weeks ago), and if you want to know more about their celebration plans, surf on over to their Website for more details.

Actually, HST’s image wasn’t the first “cosmic rose” released for Valentine’s Day. The folks at the Spitzer Space Telescope got a lovely view (below) of a star cluster and its nebulosity that form the shape of a rosebud, and sent it out in time for Valentine’s Day in 2004.

If you’re looking around for a way to impress your loved one, what could be more cosmic than a personalized note containing a print of one of these two views?

Or, if you’d like to impress with a wonderful memory, how using the occasion to name a crater on the Uwingu Mars maps? My friends there are still taking names for craters on the Mars map that will be going to the Red Planet with the Mars One crew in the not-to-distant future. I’ve got a Mars crater, and I know a lot of other people who do, too—sharing their interest in all things Mars with others!

For more details on the Uwingu Mars crater naming effort (including maps) head over to Uwingu.com. It doesn’t cost much to get you and your loved ones on the map, and who knows—maybe someday in a decade or so, some Mars explorers will be checking out a rugged crater named after you!