Green Glob in Space -- Absolutely Nothing To Do With The Bakken

The DrudgeReport linked this story: a mysterious green glob spawning stars in an area of the universe where stars are generally not born.

One of my favorite books is Hydrogen: The Essential Element by John S. Rigden which coincidentally I'm reading again. Rigden provides the background that explains why this mysterious green glob is so interesting and exciting.

But the reason I'm posting the story is because of this:

The blob was discovered by elementary school teacher Hanny van Arkel, who was 24 at the time, as part of a worldwide Galaxy Zoo project where everyday people can look at archived star photographs to catalog new objects.

Van Arkel said when she first saw the odd object in 2007 it appeared blue and smaller. The Hubble photo provides a clear picture and better explanation for what is happening around the blob.

I find that just so very rewarding. Imagine how thrilled this young woman feels for having discovered something so incredibly interesting and something which might lead to better understanding of our universe.