You've guessed well and won
The star is QX
The deed is now done
Your query comes next.

Congratulations, Eroica!

QX Puppis is an M9 red giant Mira-type variable with a period of 670 days that's in the process of becoming a planetary nebula. The bipolar proto-planetary nebula surrounding this AGB star is more commonly known as the Calabash Nebula due to its gourd-like shape.

http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclo...sh_Nebula.html

http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...sh_010824.html

http://www.astronet.ru/db/xware/msg/apod/2001-09-03

One of the unusual apects of QX is that it's a star whose demise resembles the normal process of star birth. Another is that it is an OH maser star.

http://www.astro.su.se/aar9798/node26.html

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/np...ML&format=

Dave Mitsky

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De gustibus non est disputandum.
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In the image at http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/images/d6/m46.jpg, the Calabash Nebula is the small red object located to the upper left of NGC 2438, about midway between NGC 2438 and the left border.

Dave Mitsky

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Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

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I think we are looking for G. Johnstone Stoney.

First: the only commen letter between Pisces and star is s
Second: Letters occurring in Saturn and not in Hadar are S, t and u [Edit: Yes, and n!]
Third: The circle in virgo and Rome is of course o.
Fourth: Nitrogen (N) is the most abundant element in our atmosphere.
Although - fifth and sixth - a looney he was not!

[Edit: Snoney]
Suoney
Ssoney
Stoney - I go for the last, the first man to use the word electron for the smallest measure of negative electrical chrage. tò électron is ancient Greek for amber.
And, yes, there is a crater on the Moon named after him.

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Nicely said.

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Lighten up! This is a stellar board! Author: duh.

"The Sun, with all the planets revolving around it, and depending on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as though it had nothing else in the universe to do..." Author: Galileo supposedly.

I'll second that! And a lovely poem at that.
It was nicely misleading - I was was starting to look for planetary nebula in Virgo (I was hoping for a "Pantheon nebula" or some such) when it struck me that Eroica was looking for letters in the words themselves.

Incidentally, the fact that electricity is named for the Greek word for amber seems to be very old - amber is highly electrostatic, and thus electrostatic phenomena became known as "amberish" .

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Non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem.

Well, that didn't last very long! I'll have to make the next one a little more difficult.

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That is interesting. I always think of electricity first when hearing of amber.

In addition, you may find this amussing...

Erocia's: "He found amber inspiring in a negative way!", gave me another thought. Jurasic Park! [Being the pedantic that I am, I was reluctant to conduct tangential thoughts. ]

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Lighten up! This is a stellar board! Author: duh.

"The Sun, with all the planets revolving around it, and depending on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as though it had nothing else in the universe to do..." Author: Galileo supposedly.

O.K., here is one for those who are into observing and knowing the night sky:
Have a look at the two images below. Not counting the glow from the Sun just under the horizon, the first one shows two Solar System objects, the second four. I took these photos while on holiday a bit south of 43° N. The pictures were taken a few days apart at about the same time of the day, about 05:00 h UTC. I was standing by the sea, as might be suspected from the smooth horizon.

So -

1. When did I take these photos? Both dates please.
2. Where did I spend my holiday? Since the times and positions I give are not very accurate, a tempting selection of holiday locations will suffice
3. What is the bright non-Solar System object visible in the first photo?

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Arneb,

Unless I'm missing something, your images are too small to discern any appreciable detail.

Dave Mitsky

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De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Click on the images for full size.

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That doesn't work with the computer I'm using.

Dave Mitsky

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De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

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http://img105.imageshack.us/my.php?i...zon18000nd.jpg

http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?i...tem18006cv.jpg

These are the urls I'm directed to when I click on the images.

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Thanks for the help, Eroica.
No, it is not Procyon.
Maybe it helps to state that the low-lying Solar System object in the first photo (also visible in the second at about the same position) was why I made the observation, which involved 60 km of driving, in the first place.

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Non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem.

Your clue brings Mercury to mind.

Dave Mitsky

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

A lunar occultation is another possibility but seems less likely judging from the image.

Dave Mitsky

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Were you at the Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic coast of France?

Dave Mitsky

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Hmmm....60km from Fuerth reveals not body of water...How tall are your mountains?

Portugal?

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Lighten up! This is a stellar board! Author: duh.

"The Sun, with all the planets revolving around it, and depending on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as though it had nothing else in the universe to do..." Author: Galileo supposedly.

I'm plumping for Barcelona.

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