• Question: Is there something astronomical about bananas?

    Asked by anawesomepersonlol to Sam on 14 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Sam Geen

      Sam Geen answered on 14 Jun 2013:

      Sort of!

      – These banana-shaped things (called “elephant’s trunks”, in fact) are caused by intense light from stars several times more massive than our sun blowing away dust from dense clouds:
      – Apparently there’s a “monkey head nebula”: http://astroanarchy.blogspot.fr/2010/03/ngc-2175-and-sh2-252-monkey-head-nebula.html
      – Astronomers like it if you bake them banana bread (I have tested this in laboratory conditions). I use this one: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bananabread_85720

      Unsure if there’s a cleverer answer, but it is Friday evening and I am tired. Hope this helps!

      EDIT: The thing I have with bananas and the guy who looks after the observatory in Lyon is mostly just a joke about, well, you know what a banana looks like.

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