|
Collection:
|
|
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
|
|
Title:
|
|
'Galactic Ghoul' Rears Its Spooky Head
Title
'Galactic Ghoul' Rears Its Spooky Head
Title
|
|
Description:
|
|
A "monster" lurking behind a blanket of cosmic dust is unveiled in this new Halloween image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Resembling a ghoul with two hollow eyes and a screaming mouth, this masked cloud of newborn stars was uncovered by Spitzer's heat-seeking infrared eyes.
The spooky cloud -- a nebula called "DR 6" residing in the plane of our Milky Way galaxy -- is home to a cluster of about 10 massive newborn stars, ranging in size from 10 to 20 times the mass of our Sun. The nebular "eyes" and "mouth" were carved out by intense heat and winds, which shoot outward from the stars (located in the central bar or "nose"). The green material remaining in the eyes and mouth is comprised of gas, while the red regions and tendrils beyond make up the dusty cloud that originally gave birth to the young stars.
Within the nebula's nose, a second generation of stars is in the process of forming. These stars, in turn, will sculpt their stellar nursery, and ultimately affect the birth of yet another generation of stars. Spitzer provides astronomers with an unprecedented combination of sensitivity and spatial resolution to study this cycle in detail.
DR 6 is located 3,900 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. The distance from one end of its central bar to the other is the about 3.5 light-years, or about the same distance from our Sun to its nearest neighbor, Alpha Centauri.
This image composite was taken on Nov. 27, 2003, by Spitzer's infrared array camera. It is composed of images obtained at four wavelengths: 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8 microns (red).
Description
A "monster" lurking behind a blanket of cosmic dust is unveiled in this new Halloween image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Resembling a ghoul with two hollow eyes and a screaming mouth, this masked cloud of newborn stars was uncovered by Spitzer's heat-seeking infrared eyes.
The spooky cloud -- a nebula called "DR 6" residing in the plane of our Milky Way galaxy -- is home to a cluster of about 10 massive newborn stars, ranging in size from 10 to 20 times the mass of our Sun. The nebular "eyes" and "mouth" were carved out by intense heat and winds, which shoot outward from the stars (located in the central bar or "nose"). The green material remaining in the eyes and mouth is comprised of gas, while the red regions and tendrils beyond make up the dusty cloud that originally gave birth to the young stars.
Within the nebula's nose, a second generation of stars is in the process of forming. These stars, in turn, will sculpt their stellar nursery, and ultimately affect the birth of yet another generation of stars. Spitzer provides astronomers with an unprecedented combination of sensitivity and spatial resolution to study this cycle in detail.
DR 6 is located 3,900 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. The distance from one end of its central bar to the other is the about 3.5 light-years, or about the same distance from our Sun to its nearest neighbor, Alpha Centauri.
This image composite was taken on Nov. 27, 2003, by Spitzer's infrared array camera. It is composed of images obtained at four wavelengths: 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8 microns (red).
Description
|
|
Release Date:
|
|
2004/10/28
Release_Date
2004/10/28
Release Date
|
|
Release Credit:
|
|
NASA/JPL-Caltech/S.C arey (Caltech)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/S.C arey (Caltech)
Release Credit
|
|
Image Credit:
|
|
NASA/JPL-Caltech/S. Carey
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/S. Carey
Image Credit
|
|
Object name:
|
|
DR6
Object_name
DR6
Object name
|
|
Object type:
|
|
Star forming region
Object_type
Star forming region
Object type
|
|
Position (J2000):
|
|
*RA: *20h27m13.39s *Dec: *39d26m33.10s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *20h27m13.39s *Dec: *39d26m33.10s
Position (J2000)
|
|
Constellation:
|
|
Cygnus
Constellation
Cygnus
Constellation
|
|
Wavelength:
|
|
3.6 (blue), 4.5 (green), 5.8-8.0 (red) microns
Wavelength
3.6 (blue), 4.5 (green), 5.8-8.0 (red) microns
Wavelength
|
|
Image scale:
|
|
9.8x13.8 arcmin
Image_scale
9.8x13.8 arcmin
Image scale
|
|
Observers:
|
|
IRAC IST (SSC/Caltech), IRAC IT (SAO)
Observers
IRAC IST (SSC/Caltech), IRAC IT (SAO)
Observers
|
|
Instrument:
|
|
IRAC
Instrument
IRAC
Instrument
|
|
Exposure Date:
|
|
November 2003
Exposure_Date
November 2003
Exposure Date
|
|
Exposure Time:
|
|
50 seconds per position
Exposure_Time
50 seconds per position
Exposure Time
|
|
Orientation:
|
|
North is 30.7 deg CCW from up
Orientation
North is 30.7 deg CCW from up
Orientation
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Cygnus
facet_what
Cygnus
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Milky Way Galaxy
facet_where
Milky Way Galaxy
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Stennis Space Center (SSC)
facet_where
Stennis Space Center (SSC)
facet_where
|
|
facet_when:
|
|
November 2003
facet_when
November 2003
facet_when
|
|
facet_when_year:
|
|
2003
facet_when_year
2003
facet_when_year
|
|
Image #:
|
|
ssc2004-18a
Image_#
ssc2004-18a
Image #
|
|
original url:
|
original_url
original url
|
|
UID:
|
|
SPD-SPITZ-ssc2004-18 a
UID
SPD-SPITZ-ssc2004-18 a
UID
|
