哈伯望远镜的船底座大星云全景图

2019 June 23

哈勃望远镜的船底座大星云全景图
影像提供：NASA，ESA，N。Smith（美国加州大学伯克利分校）等人和The Hubble Heritage Team（STScI / AURA）

说明：极端活跃的恒星会如何影响周围的环境呢？为解谜提供助力，天文学家针对船底座大星云，这个地球夜空最大的恒星形成区之一的中心，制作了一幅组合了48张照片的高解析彩色全景图。这幅摄于2007年的主题影像，是截自目前为止最细致的船底座大星云影像。编录号为NGC 3372的船底座大星云，拥有数量众多的丝状炽热气体，潭状的低温气体，结状的黝黑云球，以及柱状的致密星际尘埃物质。位于影像中左方的钥孔星云，内部有数颗现有最大质量的恒星。这些庞大且极端活跃的恒星，极可能是诞生于黝黑云球内，并用它们高能的星光，外泛的恒星风，与及最后生命终结时以超新星爆炸的方式改变星云的外观。肉眼即可见的船底座大星云，位在南天的船底座之内，整体的大小有450光年，距离我们则约有8500光年远。

Carina Nebula Panorama from Hubble
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (U. California, Berkeley) et al., and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Explanation: How do violent stars affect their surroundings? To help find out, astronomers created a 48-frame high-resolution, controlled-color panorama of the center of the Carina Nebula, one of the largest star forming regions on the night sky. The featured image, taken in 2007, was the most detailed image of the Carina Nebula yet taken. Cataloged as NGC 3372, the Carina Nebula is home to streams of hot gas, pools of cool gas, knots of dark globules, and pillars of dense dusty interstellar matter. The Keyhole Nebula, visible left of center, houses several of the most massive stars known. These large and violent stars likely formed in dark globules and continually reshape the nebula with their energetic light, outflowing stellar winds, and ultimately by ending their lives in supernova explosions. Visible to the unaided eye, the entire Carina Nebula spans over 450 light years and lies about 8,500 light-years away toward the constellation of Ship’s Keel (Carina).