This image of the photogenic Orion Nebula was captured from Kitt
Peak National Observatory in Arizona.
One of the
nearest and most active maternity wards for young stars, the nebula provides a
superb opportunity for astronomers to study star formation just 1,350
light-years away (according to a recent distance calculation by radio
astronomers). Large stars have shed their cocoon of dust and gas, creating an opening
in the dark cloud for astronomers to peer through. Careful stargazers can even glimpse
the nebula as the middle "star"
in the sword of the Orion constellation, using the unaided eye.
Scientists
recently examined a cloud of super-heated gas within the Orion nebula – the result
of stellar wind bombardment from a single massive star – that glowed with
x-rays. Such environments may very well influence the development and chemistry
of newly forming planetary systems.
– SPACE.com
Staff
Credit: Ramesh Selvarajoo, Flynn Haase,
National Optical Astronomy Observatory
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