Update: I keep seeing people call the Orion Nebula a 'galaxy' in photo comments

I was looking at a great shot of M42 from a user in Tucson last night, and three separate comments called it a galaxy (it's a nebula, a cloud of gas and dust inside our own Milky Way). This mix-up keeps happening, and I think it matters because it confuses what we're actually looking at. Do you correct people when they get basic space stuff wrong, or just let it slide?

3 comments

3 Comments

linda6581mo ago

Honestly, the bigger issue is how many science shows and articles use "galaxy" as a catch-all term for anything in space. It makes the mix-up understandable, but it does water down the real wonder. A nebula where stars are being born is just as cool as a whole galaxy, just a totally different scale. I usually drop a quick, friendly correction because getting it right makes the picture even more amazing.

lee_bailey651mo ago

Oh wow, that's actually a really good point. You know, I used to be one of those people who just thought everything out there was a "galaxy" and didn't really think about it. I'd see a picture of something colorful and awesome and go "oh cool, another galaxy," not realizing I was missing half the story. But reading what you said, and what brookerobinson said about the tree and forest thing, it really made me stop and think. I get it now, a nebula is like a giant star factory up close, and a galaxy is the entire city they live in. It's two totally different kinds of amazing, and knowing which one you're looking at actually makes the whole thing feel more real and impressive. I'm gonna have to start paying more attention to what the caption actually says instead of just zoning out on the pretty picture.

brookerobinson1mo ago

Yeah, it's like calling a single tree a whole forest. The scale difference is mind-blowing, and knowing what you're actually looking at makes it way cooler.