The Catspaw Nebula and The Revenge of the Catspaw
The
European Space Agency has released a huge photo of deep space, featuring a favorite
nebula, NGC 63334, known as the Catspaw Nebula.
It is a beautiful nebula, that is about 5000 light-years from
Earth. Not surprisingly, it bears a
fairly striking resemblance to a cat’s paw, as seen from below (i.e. the pad of
the paw). The image also includes
another major nebula, known as the Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357).
The
Catspaw nebula is an emission nebula, and a star forming region, rather like
the great nebula in the constellation of Orion.
Basically, that means is shines from the light of ionized gases (like a fluorescent
bulb), that have been energized by starlight, from the massive, hot, young
stars in the nebula. The chemical
compsosition of the nebula determines the colour of the light – for example, red
for hydrogen and green for oxygen.
It
is at a declination of -35 degrees, in Scorpius, which is quite far south. In fact, it was first discovered by Hershel
in 1837, from the Cape of Good Hope, in South Africa. Nonetheless, it can be seen from
mid-latitudes and southern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, as well as
from the southern hemisphere.
The
image is about 2 billion pixels. That’s
about 45000 rows by 45000 columns, according to my calculator. The image (link below) is so big, that you
can zoom away to your heart’s content.
You should try it – it’s like having your own spaceship.
Which
brings me to the other interesting thing about the Catspaw Nebula. We featured it on the cover of Helena Puumala’s
science fiction and romance novel, The Witches’ Stones Book 3 – The Revenge of
the Catspaw. A catspaw is someone who
does the bidding of someone else (often
unaware, though not necessarily), usually a nefarious someone else. As you can tell from the novel’s title, that
is a major aspect of the book. The
Catspaw Nebula was a good visual metaphor, to represent the theme and major
plot points of the book. And nothing
says science fiction like a picture of deep space. And, yes, cats (rather large and ferocious
ones) also play a significant role in the story.
So,
have a look at the incredible image of the Catspaw Nebula provided by The
European Southern Observatory. Then, go
on over to Amazon, and get the book (very reasonably priced, by the way, as is
the entire 3 book series).
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The
Witches' Stones, Book 3 - Revenge of the Catspaw
Sarah
and Coryn have become married, under the traditions of the Witches of
Kordea. But the marriage is performed by the Eldest of the most important
coven, a rare honour, that comes with a blessing and a curse. The slow working
out of this blessing and curse forms the backdrop to the story.
Having
come so close to their goal of enhancing their weaponry via Witches' Stone
power, The Organization will not give up. In order to lure Sarah into
their trap, and thus have her become their Catspaw (someone who is forced into
helping another, against their will) they need bait, and Coryn becomes the
bait. He also comes under the domination of a particularly nasty Elite of
The Organization, one "Evil Evilla" Copoz.
Sarah,
and a picked group of companions, must re-enter The Organization space, this
time to the very heart of the empire, to rescue her husband, as he has done for
her in the past. They do so at great peril, but nothing can stop the
terrible Revenge of the Catspaw.
The
Witches' Stones, Book 2 - Love and Intrigue, Under the Seven Moons of Kordea
Sarah has taken refuge on the planet of Kordea,
where she is also learning how to control her psychic abilities, through the
tutelage of the Witches of Kordea. Coryn Leigh has now taken up the
position of Confederation diplomat to the Kordeans, but he is also charged with
keeping the Mackenzie girl safe at all costs. During their time on the
planet, an attraction between them grows, though they try to deny it, to
themselves and each other.
But The Organization has plans of its own,
including threatening the destruction of the planet Kordea, via destabalizing
the orbit of Lina, one of its many moons. The Organization proves that
its threats are in deadly earnest, so, ultimately Sarah, Coryn and the Witches
of Kordea must take the fight to the enemy. Thus is borne a dangerous
mission, to a planet where their foe has based the weapon that threatens
Kordea, and ultimately, the balance of power throughout the galaxy. Sarah
and Coryn agree that the machine must be destroyed, even at the possible cost
of their own lives and growing love.
The Witches' Stones, Book 1 - Rescue from the
Planet of the Amartos
Young
Earth woman and spaceship mechanic, Sarah Mackenzie, has unwittingly triggered
a vast source of energy, the Witches' Stones, via her psychic abilities, of
which she was unaware. She becomes the focal point of a desperate contest
between the authoritarian galactic power, known as The Organization, and the
democratic Earth-based galactic power, known as The Terran Confederation. The
Organization wants to capture her, and utilize her powers to create a
super-weapon; the Terra Confederation wants to prevent that at all costs. The
mysterious psychic aliens, the Witches of Kordea also become involved, as they
see her as a possible threat, or a possible ally, for the safety of their own
world.
A small but fast scout-ship, with its pilot and an agent of the Terra Confederation, Coryn Leigh, are sent to rescue her from a distant planet at the very edge of the galaxy, near space claimed by The Organization. Battles, physical and mental, whirl around the young woman, as the agent and pilot strive at all costs to keep her from the clutches of the Organization.
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