Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Title:
Orion's Inner Beauty
Description:
This infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Orion nebula, our closest massive star-making factory, 1,450 light-years from Earth. The nebula is close enough to appear to the naked eye as a fuzzy star in the sword of the popular hunter constellation.

The nebula itself is located on the lower half of the image, surrounded by a ring of dust. It formed in a cold cloud of gas and dust and contains about 1,000 young stars. These stars illuminate the cloud, creating the beautiful nebulosity, or swirls of material, seen here in infrared.

This image shows infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns (red and orange) comes mainly from dust that has been heated by starlight. Light of 4.5 microns (green) shows hot gas and dust; and light of 3.6 microns (blue) is from starlight.
Release Date:
2006/08/14
Press Release:
NASA's Spitzer Digs Up Troves of Possible Solar Systems in Orion [ http://www.spitzer.…]
Release Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Megeath (University of Toledo)
Object type:
Nebula
Position (J2000):
*RA: *05h35m15.00s *Dec: *-5d22m23.00s
Distance:
1450 light-years
Constellation:
Orion
Wavelength:
3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0 microns
Image scale:
0.77 x 1.44 deg
Observers:
Tom Megeath (University of Toledo)
Rob Gutermuth (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)
Joe Hora (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)
Lori Allen (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)
Kevin Flaherty (Steward Observatory)
John Stauffer (SSC)
Lee Hartmann (University of Michigan)
James Muzerolle (Steward Observatory)
Phil Myers (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)
Nick Siegler (Steward Observatory)
Erick Young (Steward Observatory)
Giovanni Fazio (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)
Instrument:
IRAC
Exposure Date:
February 16 and 18, 2004, March 9, 2004, October 8, 12, and 27, 2004
Exposure Time:
41.6 seconds per position
Orientation:
North is up
note:
*Full-resolution IRAC image* Screen-Resolution (242x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-16a1_small.j pg ]
High-Resolution (3220x6000): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Megeath (University of Toledo)
facet_what:
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what:
Earth
facet_what:
Orion
facet_what:
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_where:
Michigan
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where:
Washington, D.C.
facet_where:
Stennis Space Center (SSC)
facet_when:
March 9, 2004
facet_when_year:
2004
Image #:
ssc2006-16a
original url:
UID:
SPD-SPITZ-ssc2006-16 a

Orion's Inner Beauty