Posted on 11/16/2011 6:57:45 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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 are highlighted in this colorful skyscape. The image includes data from narrowband filters, mapping emission from atomic oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur into blue, green, and red hues. The atomic emission is powered by energetic radiation from the hot stars, whose powerful winds and radiation also sculpt and erode the denser pillar shapes. Stars could still be forming inside the pillars by gravitational collapse, but as the pillars are eroded away, any forming stars will ultimately be cutoff from their reservoir of star stuff. This field spans around 40 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 7822.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit & Copyright: Manuel Fernández Suarez]
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oooooooHHHHH! NICE!
This is not what the nebula looks like now—it’s how it looked about the time David became king of Israel.
I’m assuming this is from the HST; the NASA website doesn’t seem to identify the source telescope.
I like that term, "star stuff!"
Beautiful, SunkenCiv!
“Mom, he’s looking at me again!”
Sorry, that was my first reaction.
I too, like the term “star stuff.”
Just think if the sky was dark enough and our eyes were able to actually see these things instead of having to take time laps photos.
When I was young, I could see colors in the Orion Nebula, but, no more. :(
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