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The ghost-like nebula, IRAS 05437+2502, includes a small star-forming region filled with dark dust that was first noted in images taken by the IRAS satellite in infrared light in 1983. This recently released image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows many new details, but has not uncovered a clear cause of the bright sharp arc. Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, R. Sahai (JPL) [Full Story] |
A ghost-like nebula billowing out from a nest of bright stars and dark dust takes center stage in an impressive new image from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The little-known nebula, called IRAS 05437+2502, is faint and relatively small ? with a width that is about 1/18th that of the full moon. [Photo of the ghost-like nebula.]
Many details about this stellar nursery remain unknown, other than its location in the constellation Taurus (the Bull), close to the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy.
The nebula contains a small star-forming region, but what is most eye-catching, is a bright upside-down "V" that defines the upper edge of the floating mountain of interstellar dust.
Researchers are unsure of what lights up this boomerang-shaped feature, and the nebula itself has not been studied in detail.
The faint IRAS 05437+2502 nebula was first discovered in 1983 by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), which was the first space telescope to scan the entire sky in the infrared wavelength.
This new image was taken with the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard the Hubble Space Telescope.
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