Posted on 11/18/2024 1:10:36 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: Stars can create huge and intricate dust sculptures from the dense and dark molecular clouds from which they are born. The tools the stars use to carve their detailed works are high energy light and fast stellar winds. The heat they generate evaporates the dark molecular dust as well as causing ambient hydrogen gas to disperse and glow. Pictured here, a new open cluster of stars designated IC 1590 is nearing completion around the intricate interstellar dust structures in the emission nebula NGC 281, dubbed the Pac-man Nebula because of its overall shape. The dust cloud just above center is classified as a Bok Globule as it may gravitationally collapse and form a star -- or stars. The Pacman Nebula lies about 10,000 light years away toward the constellation of Cassiopeia.
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.
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Wow.
This image is something you would never see with your eyes - think of how long the exposure time must have been to gather this much detail!
Almost reminds me of the Sargasso Sea.
THIS picture gives a more representative picture of why it’s called “Pac-Man”-
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fngc-281-the-pacman-nebula-in-hoo-v0-axtawqyysyrb1.jpg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dc89f0e63b07d11b30dd032bd4b66fa18bac880ff&rdt=34046 The APOD has been developed to show fainter structures within and around the nebula, making it hard to make out the PAC-Man shape.
Thanks.
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