蝘蜓I分子云

蝘蜓I分子云

2022年2月17日 Chamaeleon I Molecular Cloud Image Credit & Copyright: Acquisition: Stas Volskiy (Chilescope.com), Processing: Robert Eder Explanation: Dark markings and bright nebulae in this telescopic southern sky view are telltale signs of young stars and active star formation. They lie a mere 650 light-years away, at the boundary of the local bubble and the Chamaeleon molecular cloud complex. Regions with young stars identified as dusty reflection nebulae from the 1946 Cederblad catalog include the C-shaped Ced 110 just above and left of center, and bluish Ced 111 below it. Also a standout in the frame, the orange tinted V-shape of the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula (Cha IRN) was carved by material streaming from a newly formed low-mass star. The well-composed image spans 1.5 degrees. That’s about…

船底座大星云的北缘

船底座大星云的北缘

2022年1月31日 Carina Nebula North Image Credit & Copyright: Roberto Colombari Explanation: The Great Carina Nebula is home to strange stars and iconic nebulas. Named for its home constellation, the huge star-forming region is larger and brighter than the Great Orion Nebula but less well known because it is so far south — and because so much of humanity lives so far north. The featured image shows in great detail the northern-most part of the Carina Nebula. Visible nebulas include the semi-circular filaments surrounding the active star Wolf-Rayet 23 (WR23) on the far left. Just left of center is the Gabriela Mistral Nebula consisting of an emission nebula of glowing gas (IC 2599) surrounding the small open cluster of stars (NGC 3324). Above the image center…

猎户座星云之南

猎户座星云之南

2022年1月27日 South of Orion Image Credit & Copyright: Vikas Chander Explanation: South of the large star-forming region known as the Orion Nebula, lies bright blue reflection nebula NGC 1999. At the edge of the Orion molecular cloud complex some 1,500 light-years distant, NGC 1999’s illumination is provided by the embedded variable star V380 Orionis. The nebula is marked with a dark sideways T-shape at center right in this telescopic vista that spans about two full moons on the sky. Its dark shape was once assumed to be an obscuring dust cloud seen in silhouette. But infrared data suggest the shape is likely a hole blown through the nebula itself by energetic young stars. In fact, this region abounds with energetic young stars producing jets and…

年轻恒星MHO 2147的喷流

年轻恒星MHO 2147的喷流

2022年1月21日 Young Star Jet MHO 2147 Image Credit & License: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA Acknowledgments: L. Ferrero (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba) Explanation: Laser guide stars and adaptive optics sharpened this stunning ground-based image of stellar jets from the Gemini South Observatory, Chilean Andes, planet Earth. These twin outflows of MHO 2147 are from a young star in formation. It lies toward the central Milky Way and the boundary of the constellations Sagittarius and Ophiuchus at an estimated distance of some 10,000 light-years. At center, the star itself is obscured by a dense region of cold dust. But the infrared image still traces the sinuous jets across a frame that would span about 5 light-years at the system’s estimated distance. Driven…

仙王座的NGC 7822

仙王座的NGC 7822

2022年1月20日 NGC 7822 in Cepheus Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Carter Explanation: Hot, young stars and cosmic pillars of gas and dust seem to crowd into NGC 7822. At the edge of a giant molecular cloud toward the northern constellation Cepheus, the glowing star forming region lies about 3,000 light-years away. Within the nebula, bright edges and dark shapes stand out in this colorful telescopic skyscape. The image includes data from narrowband filters, mapping emission from atomic oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur into blue, green, and red hues. The emission line and color combination has become well-known as the Hubble palette. The atomic emission is powered by energetic radiation from the central hot stars. Their powerful winds and radiation sculpt and erode the denser pillar shapes…

堰蜓座的暗星云

堰蜓座的暗星云

2022年1月17日 Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas Image Credit & Copyright: Jarmo Ruuth, Telescope Live, Heaven’s Mirror Observatory Explanation: Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an angular elegance. Such is the case toward the far-south constellation of Chamaeleon. Normally too faint to see, dark dust is best known for blocking visible light from stars and galaxies behind it. In this four-hour exposure, however, the dust is seen mostly in light of its own, with its strong red and near-infrared colors giving creating a brown hue. Contrastingly blue, the bright star Beta Chamaeleontis is visible just to the right of center, with the dust that surrounds it preferentially reflecting blue light from its primarily blue-white color. All of the pictured stars and dust occur in our own…

NGC 6822: 巴纳德星系

NGC 6822: 巴纳德星系

2021年12月02日 NGC 6822: Barnard’s Galaxy Image Credit & Copyright: Dietmar Hager, Eric Benson Explanation: Grand spiral galaxies often seem to get all the glory, flaunting their young, bright, blue star clusters in beautiful, symmetric spiral arms. But small galaxies form stars too, like nearby NGC 6822, also known as Barnard’s Galaxy. Beyond the rich starfields in the constellation Sagittarius, NGC 6822 is a mere 1.5 million light-years away, a member of our Local Group of galaxies. A dwarf irregular galaxy similar to the Small Magellanic Cloud, NGC 6822 is about 7,000 light-years across. Brighter foreground stars in our Milky Way have a spiky appearance. Behind them, Barnard’s Galaxy is seen to be filled with young blue stars and mottled with the telltale pinkish hydrogen glow…

NGC 1333:英仙座的恒星育婴室

NGC 1333:英仙座的恒星育婴室

2021年11月11日 NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Sherick Explanation: NGC 1333 is seen in visible light as a reflection nebula, dominated by bluish hues characteristic of starlight reflected by interstellar dust. A mere 1,000 light-years distant toward the heroic constellation Perseus, it lies at the edge of a large, star-forming molecular cloud. This telescopic close-up spans about two full moons on the sky or just over 15 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 1333. It shows details of the dusty region along with telltale hints of contrasty red emission from Herbig-Haro objects, jets and shocked glowing gas emanating from recently formed stars. In fact, NGC 1333 contains hundreds of stars less than a million years old, most still hidden…

黝黑的仙王座海马星云

黝黑的仙王座海马星云

2021年11月05日 The Dark Seahorse in Cepheus Image Credit & Copyright: Valerio Avitabile Explanation: Light-years across, this suggestive shape known as the Seahorse Nebula appears in silhouette against a rich, luminous background of stars. Seen toward the royal northern constellation of Cepheus, the dusty, obscuring clouds are part of a Milky Way molecular cloud some 1,200 light-years distant. It is also listed as Barnard 150 (B150), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Packs of low mass stars are forming within, but their collapsing cores are only visible at long infrared wavelengths. Still, the colorful stars of Cepheus add to this pretty, galactic skyscape. Tomorrow’s picture: light-weekend 黝黑的仙王座海马星云 影像提供与版权: Valerio Avitabile 说明: 这个长数光年,形状深具暗示性的天体,是以黝黑剪影之姿出现在仙王座明亮背景繁星前方的海马星云。这团位在北天仙王座方向的不透光尘埃云,为距离约1,200光年远的一团银河分子云之成员。在天文学家巴纳德于20世纪初编录的暗星云表里,编录号为巴纳德150(B150)的这团星云,是其中的182个暗星云之1。在其内,藏有处于形成阶段的成群小质量恒星,不过它们塌缩中的星核,只有在远红外线波段才可见。不论如何,视野内这些色彩缤纷的仙王座恒星,为这片美丽的银河星野增添了不少风采。 明日的图片:…

仙王火焰分子云的幽灵

仙王火焰分子云的幽灵

2021年10月29日 Haunting the Cepheus Flare Image Credit & Copyright: Leo Shatz Explanation: Spooky shapes seem to haunt this dusty expanse, drifting through the night in the royal constellation Cepheus. Of course, the shapes are cosmic dust clouds visible in dimly reflected starlight. Far from your own neighborhood, they lurk above the plane of the Milky Way at the edge of the Cepheus Flare molecular cloud complex some 1,200 light-years away. Over 2 light-years across and brighter than most of the other ghostly apparitions, vdB 141 or Sh2-136 is also known as the Ghost Nebula, seen at the right of the starry field of view. Inside the nebula are the telltale signs of dense cores collapsing in the early stages of star formation. With the eerie…