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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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Pink Pleiades
Title
Pink Pleiades
Title
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Description:
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The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades star cluster, seem to float on a bed of feathers in a new infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Clouds of dust sweep around the stars, swaddling them in a cushiony veil.
The Pleiades, located more than 400 light-years away in the Taurus constellation, are the subject of many legends and writings. Greek mythology holds that the flock of stars was transformed into celestial doves by Zeus to save them from a pursuant Orion. The 19th-century poet Alfred Lord Tennyson described them as "glittering like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid."
The star cluster was born when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, about 100 million years ago. It is significantly younger than our 5-billion-year-old sun. The brightest members of the cluster, also the highest-mass stars, are known in Greek mythology as two parents, Atlas and Pleione, and their seven daughters, Alcyone, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, Celaeno and Asterope. There are thousands of additional lower-mass members, including many stars like our sun. Some scientists believe that our sun grew up in a crowded region like the Pleiades, before migrating to its present, more isolated home.
The new infrared image from Spitzer highlights the "tangled silver braid" mentioned in the poem by Tennyson. This spider-web-like network of filaments, colored red in this view, is made up of dust associated with the cloud through which the cluster is traveling. One of the parent stars, Atlas, can be seen at the bottom, while six of the sisters are visible at top. Additional stars in the cluster are sprinkled throughout the picture in blue.
The Spitzer data also reveal never-before-seen brown dwarfs, or "failed stars," and disks of planetary debris (not pictured). John Stauffer of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope mission says Spitzer's infrared vision allows astronomers to better study the cooler, lower-mass stars in the region, which are much fainter when viewed in optical light. Stauffer, who admits to being biased because the Pleiades is his favorite astronomical object, says the cluster is the perfect laboratory for understanding the evolution of stars.
This image shows infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange; light of 4.5 microns is green; and light of 3.6 microns is blue.
Description
The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades star cluster, seem to float on a bed of feathers in a new infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Clouds of dust sweep around the stars, swaddling them in a cushiony veil.
The Pleiades, located more than 400 light-years away in the Taurus constellation, are the subject of many legends and writings. Greek mythology holds that the flock of stars was transformed into celestial doves by Zeus to save them from a pursuant Orion. The 19th-century poet Alfred Lord Tennyson described them as "glittering like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid."
The star cluster was born when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, about 100 million years ago. It is significantly younger than our 5-billion-year-old sun. The brightest members of the cluster, also the highest-mass stars, are known in Greek mythology as two parents, Atlas and Pleione, and their seven daughters, Alcyone, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, Celaeno and Asterope. There are thousands of additional lower-mass members, including many stars like our sun. Some scientists believe that our sun grew up in a crowded region like the Pleiades, before migrating to its present, more isolated home.
The new infrared image from Spitzer highlights the "tangled silver braid" mentioned in the poem by Tennyson. This spider-web-like network of filaments, colored red in this view, is made up of dust associated with the cloud through which the cluster is traveling. One of the parent stars, Atlas, can be seen at the bottom, while six of the sisters are visible at top. Additional stars in the cluster are sprinkled throughout the picture in blue.
The Spitzer data also reveal never-before-seen brown dwarfs, or "failed stars," and disks of planetary debris (not pictured). John Stauffer of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope mission says Spitzer's infrared vision allows astronomers to better study the cooler, lower-mass stars in the region, which are much fainter when viewed in optical light. Stauffer, who admits to being biased because the Pleiades is his favorite astronomical object, says the cluster is the perfect laboratory for understanding the evolution of stars.
This image shows infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange; light of 4.5 microns is green; and light of 3.6 microns is blue.
Description
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Release Date:
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2007/04/12
Release_Date
2007/04/12
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/J. Stauffer (SSC/Caltech)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/J. Stauffer (SSC/Caltech)
Release Credit
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Object name:
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Pleiades
Object_name
Pleiades
Object name
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Object name:
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Seven Sisters
Object_name
Seven Sisters
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: *03h47m0.00s *Dec: *24d00m0.00s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *03h47m0.00s *Dec: *24d00m0.00s
Position (J2000)
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Distance:
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430 light-years
Distance
430 light-years
Distance
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Constellation:
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Taurus
Constellation
Taurus
Constellation
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Wavelength:
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4.5 and 8.0 microns
Wavelength
4.5 and 8.0 microns
Wavelength
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Image scale:
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58x58 arcminutes
Image_scale
58x58 arcminutes
Image scale
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Observers:
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John Stauffer (Spitzer Science Center, Caltech)
Observers
John Stauffer (Spitzer Science Center, Caltech)
Observers
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Instrument:
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IRAC
Instrument
IRAC
Instrument
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Exposure Date:
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September 2004
Exposure_Date
September 2004
Exposure Date
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Exposure Time:
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24 seconds
Exposure_Time
24 seconds
Exposure Time
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Orientation:
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North is 101.8 deg CCW from up
Orientation
North is 101.8 deg CCW from up
Orientation
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note:
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*Full image without packaging.* Screen-Resolution (450x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2007-07b1_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (2855x2855): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/J. Stauffer (SSC/Caltech)
note
*Full image without packaging.* Screen-Resolution (450x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2007-07b1_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (2855x2855): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/J. Stauffer (SSC/Caltech) 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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Taurus
facet_what
Taurus
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Atlas
facet_what
Atlas
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Asterope
facet_what
Asterope
facet_what
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facet_what:
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ALCYONE
facet_what
ALCYONE
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Celaeno
facet_what
Celaeno
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Electra
facet_what
Electra
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Maia
facet_what
Maia
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Merope
facet_what
Merope
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Pleione
facet_what
Pleione
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Taygeta
facet_what
Taygeta
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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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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September 2004
facet_when
September 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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ssc2007-07b
Image_#
ssc2007-07b
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-ssc2007-07 b
UID
SPD-SPITZ-ssc2007-07 b
UID
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