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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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The Sword of Orion
Title
The Sword of Orion
Title
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Description:
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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.
In the center of the nebula (bottom inset) are four monstrously massive stars, up to 100,000 times as luminous as our sun, called the Trapezium (tiny yellow smudge to the lower left of green splotches). Radiation and winds from these stars are blasting gas and dust away, excavating a cavity walled in by the large ring of dust.
Behind the Trapezium, still buried deeply in the cloud, a second generation of massive stars is forming (in the area with green splotches). The speckled green fuzz in this bright region is created when bullets of gas shoot out from the juvenile stars and ram into the surrounding cloud.
Above this region of intense activity are networks of cold material that appear as dark veins against the pinkish nebulosity (upper inset). These dark veins contain embryonic stars. Some of the natal stars illuminate the cloud, creating small, aqua-colored wisps. In addition, jets of gas from the stars ram into the cloud, resulting in the green horseshoe-shaped globs.
Spitzer surveyed a significant swath of the Orion constellation, beyond what is highlighted in this image. Within that region, called the Orion cloud complex, the telescope found 2,300 stars circled by disks of planet-forming dust and 200 stellar embryos too young to have developed disks.
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.
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.
In the center of the nebula (bottom inset) are four monstrously massive stars, up to 100,000 times as luminous as our sun, called the Trapezium (tiny yellow smudge to the lower left of green splotches). Radiation and winds from these stars are blasting gas and dust away, excavating a cavity walled in by the large ring of dust.
Behind the Trapezium, still buried deeply in the cloud, a second generation of massive stars is forming (in the area with green splotches). The speckled green fuzz in this bright region is created when bullets of gas shoot out from the juvenile stars and ram into the surrounding cloud.
Above this region of intense activity are networks of cold material that appear as dark veins against the pinkish nebulosity (upper inset). These dark veins contain embryonic stars. Some of the natal stars illuminate the cloud, creating small, aqua-colored wisps. In addition, jets of gas from the stars ram into the cloud, resulting in the green horseshoe-shaped globs.
Spitzer surveyed a significant swath of the Orion constellation, beyond what is highlighted in this image. Within that region, called the Orion cloud complex, the telescope found 2,300 stars circled by disks of planet-forming dust and 200 stellar embryos too young to have developed disks.
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.
Description
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Release Date:
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2006/08/14
Release_Date
2006/08/14
Release Date
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Press Release:
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Press_Release
Press Release
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Release Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Megeath (University of Toledo)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Megeath (University of Toledo)
Release Credit
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Object type:
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Nebula, Star-Forming Region
Object_type
Nebula, Star-Forming Region
Object type
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Position (J2000):
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*RA: *05h34m14.10s *Dec: *-5d22m23.00s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *05h34m14.10s *Dec: *-5d22m23.00s
Position (J2000)
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Distance:
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1450 light-years
Distance
1450 light-years
Distance
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Constellation:
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Orion
Constellation
Orion
Constellation
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Wavelength:
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3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0 microns
Wavelength
3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0 microns
Wavelength
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Image scale:
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0.77 x 1.44 deg
Image_scale
0.77 x 1.44 deg
Image scale
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Observers:
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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)
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)
Observers
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Instrument:
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IRAC
Instrument
IRAC
Instrument
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Exposure Date:
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February 16 and 18, 2004, March 9, 2004, October 8, 12, and 27, 2004
Exposure_Date
February 16 and 18, 2004, March 9, 2004, October 8, 12, and 27, 2004
Exposure Date
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Exposure Time:
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41.6 seconds per position
Exposure_Time
41.6 seconds per position
Exposure Time
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Orientation:
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North is up
Orientation
North is up
Orientation
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note:
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*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)
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) note
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note:
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*Full-resolution IRAC image stretched for details as seen in insets of packaged image* Screen-Resolution (242x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-16b1_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (3220x6000): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Megeath (University of Toledo)
note
*Full-resolution IRAC image stretched for details as seen in insets of packaged image* Screen-Resolution (242x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-16b1_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (3220x6000): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Megeath (University of Toledo) note
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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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Orion
facet_what
Orion
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Aqua
facet_what
Aqua
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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Michigan
facet_where
Michigan
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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facet_where:
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Stennis Space Center (SSC)
facet_where
Stennis Space Center (SSC)
facet_where
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facet_when:
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March 9, 2004
facet_when
March 9, 2004
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2004
facet_when_year
2004
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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ssc2006-16b
Image_#
ssc2006-16b
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-ssc2006-16 b
UID
SPD-SPITZ-ssc2006-16 b
UID
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