Posted on 02/04/2024 7:54:24 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: Stars are forming in the gigantic dust pillar called the Cone Nebula. Cones, pillars, and majestic flowing shapes abound in stellar nurseries where natal clouds of gas and dust are buffeted by energetic winds from newborn stars. The Cone Nebula, a well-known example, lies within the bright galactic star-forming region NGC 2264. The Cone was captured in unprecedented detail in this close-up composite of several observations from the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. While the Cone Nebula, about 2,500 light-years away in Monoceros, is around 7 light-years long, the region pictured here surrounding the cone's blunted head is a mere 2.5 light-years across. In our neck of the galaxy that distance is just over half way from our Sun to its nearest stellar neighbors in the Alpha Centauri star system. The massive star NGC 2264 IRS, seen by Hubble's infrared camera in 1997, is the likely source of the wind sculpting the Cone Nebula and lies off the top of the image. The Cone Nebula's reddish veil is produced by dust and glowing hydrogen gas.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
Sorry for the late post. I had to drive about 900 miles today with tornadoes nearby, hail and heavy rain just to make it challenging. I just got home.
In galactic scale, is a “gigantic dust pillar” like dust we know on Earth up to the size of grains of sand or more like house sized rocks that are minuscule relative to the universe when measured in light years?
Wow.
It’s a Wookiee!
Thanks as always!
You got home safe, that counts!
It looks like the mouth of a lamprey.
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