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Collection:
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NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Stellar Families
Title
Stellar Families
Title
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Description:
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Human families may be bonded by blood, but stellar families are united by gravity. A family of stars, or star cluster, can contain hundreds or thousands of members. In this image, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope spots the Serpens South star cluster, which consists of a relatively dense group of 50 young stars -- 35 of which are protostars, or stellar infants, that are just beginning to form.
Stellar members of Serpens South star cluster can be seen as the green, yellow, and orange tinted specks sitting atop the black dust lane running down the center of the image. Like raindrops, stars form when thick patches of cosmic clouds condense.
Tints of green in the image represent hot hydrogen gas excited when high-speed jets of gas ejected by infant stars collide with the cool gas in the surrounding cloud.
Wisps of red in the background are organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are being excited by stellar radiation from a neighboring star-forming region located to the east of this image, called W40. On Earth PAHs are found on charred barbeque grills and in the sooty automobile exhaust.
This Spitzer picture is composed of three images taken with the telescope's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) at 3.6 (blue), 4.5 (green), and 5.8 (red) microns.
Description
Human families may be bonded by blood, but stellar families are united by gravity. A family of stars, or star cluster, can contain hundreds or thousands of members. In this image, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope spots the Serpens South star cluster, which consists of a relatively dense group of 50 young stars -- 35 of which are protostars, or stellar infants, that are just beginning to form.
Stellar members of Serpens South star cluster can be seen as the green, yellow, and orange tinted specks sitting atop the black dust lane running down the center of the image. Like raindrops, stars form when thick patches of cosmic clouds condense.
Tints of green in the image represent hot hydrogen gas excited when high-speed jets of gas ejected by infant stars collide with the cool gas in the surrounding cloud.
Wisps of red in the background are organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are being excited by stellar radiation from a neighboring star-forming region located to the east of this image, called W40. On Earth PAHs are found on charred barbeque grills and in the sooty automobile exhaust.
This Spitzer picture is composed of three images taken with the telescope's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) at 3.6 (blue), 4.5 (green), and 5.8 (red) microns.
Description
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Release Date:
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2007/08/08
Release_Date
2007/08/08
Release Date
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Release Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/L. Allen (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) & Gould's Belt Legacy Team
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/L. Allen (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) & Gould's Belt Legacy Team
Release Credit
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/L. Allen (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) & Gould's Belt Legacy Team
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/L. Allen (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) & Gould's Belt Legacy Team
Image Credit
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Object name:
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Serpens South
Object_name
Serpens South
Object name
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Object type:
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Star Cluster
Object_type
Star Cluster
Object type
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Position (J2000):
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*RA: *18h30m5.00s *Dec: *-2d02m30.00s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *18h30m5.00s *Dec: *-2d02m30.00s
Position (J2000)
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Distance:
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260 pc (848 light-years)
Distance
260 pc (848 light-years)
Distance
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Constellation:
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Serpens
Constellation
Serpens
Constellation
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Wavelength:
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3.6 (blue), 4.5 (green), 8.0 (red)
Wavelength
3.6 (blue), 4.5 (green), 8.0 (red)
Wavelength
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Image scale:
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14.4 x 20.3 arcminutes (3.5 x 5 light-years)
Image_scale
14.4 x 20.3 arcminutes (3.5 x 5 light-years)
Image scale
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Observers:
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Lori Allen, Principal Investigator (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Robert Gutermuth (CfA)
Tyler Bourke (CfA)
Tracy Huard (CfA)
Brenda Matthews (Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics)
Jes Jørgensen (University of Bonn)
Dave Nutter (Cardiff University)
Tim Brooke (Spitzer Science Center)
James Di Francesco (Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics)
Neal Evans (University of Texas - Austin)
Jane Greaves (University of St. Andrews)
Paul Harvey (University of Texas - Austin)
Jenny Hatchell (University of Exeter)
Michiel Hogerheijde (Leiden University)
Doug Johnstone (Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics)
Jason Kirk (Cardiff University)
Lewis Knee (Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics)
David Koerner (Northern Arizona University)
Tom Megeath (University of Toledo)
Bruno Merin (ESA)
Lee Mundy (University of Maryland)
Philip Myers (CfA)
Deborah Padgett (Spitzer Science Center)
Luisa Rebull (Spitzer Science Center)
Karl Stapelfeldt (JPL)
Derek Ward-Thompson (Cardiff University)
Jeremy Yates (University College London)
Observers
Lori Allen, Principal Investigator (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Robert Gutermuth (CfA)
Tyler Bourke (CfA)
Tracy Huard (CfA)
Brenda Matthews (Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics)
Jes Jørgensen (University of Bonn)
Dave Nutter (Cardiff University)
Tim Brooke (Spitzer Science Center)
James Di Francesco (Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics)
Neal Evans (University of Texas - Austin)
Jane Greaves (University of St. Andrews)
Paul Harvey (University of Texas - Austin)
Jenny Hatchell (University of Exeter)
Michiel Hogerheijde (Leiden University)
Doug Johnstone (Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics)
Jason Kirk (Cardiff University)
Lewis Knee (Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics)
David Koerner (Northern Arizona University)
Tom Megeath (University of Toledo)
Bruno Merin (ESA)
Lee Mundy (University of Maryland)
Philip Myers (CfA)
Deborah Padgett (Spitzer Science Center)
Luisa Rebull (Spitzer Science Center)
Karl Stapelfeldt (JPL)
Derek Ward-Thompson (Cardiff University)
Jeremy Yates (University College London)
Observers
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Instrument:
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IRAC
Instrument
IRAC
Instrument
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Exposure Date:
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2006/10/27
Exposure_Date
2006/10/27
Exposure Date
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Exposure Time:
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40.8 sec
Exposure_Time
40.8 sec
Exposure Time
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Orientation:
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North is up
Orientation
North is up
Orientation
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Related links:
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Related_links
Related links
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facet_what:
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Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Serpens
facet_what
Serpens
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Maryland
facet_where
Maryland
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Arizona
facet_where
Arizona
facet_where
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facet_where:
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London
facet_where
London
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Austin
facet_where
Austin
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Texas
facet_where
Texas
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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Image #:
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sig07-014
Image_#
sig07-014
Image #
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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UID:
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SPD-SPITZ-sig07-014
UID
SPD-SPITZ-sig07-014
UID
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