Manatees in Space?
Manatees – those peaceful herbivores who roam the inlets of Florida – are an endangered species. Maybe that’s why they appear to have taken off into deep space? [readon]
During a special ceremony at the Florida Manatee Festival, this week, the distant nebula known as W50 was renamed the Manatee Nebula.
Astronomers say that the nebula is the remains of a star that exploded about 20,000 years ago. But who’s to say? After all, it looks just like a big manatee floating on her back with her flippers crossed over her belly:
The waters in and around Florida, where manatees make their home, browsing on sea plants, have become increasingly dangerous as speeding boats cut into their backs with their propellers.
So, if you were manatee, you might indeed be thinking seriously about migrating to a safe place 18,000 light years away. Why not?