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N81 in the Small Magellanic …
Title N81 in the Small Magellanic Cloud
Full Description A NASA Hubble Space Telescope "family portrait" of young, ultra-bright stars nested in their embryonic cloud of glowing gases. The celestial maternity ward, called N81, is located 200,000 light-years away in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a small irregular satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. Hubble's exquisite resolution allows astronomers to pinpoint 50 separate stars tightly packed in the nebula's core within a 10 light- year diameter - slightly more than twice the distance between earth and the nearest star to our sun. The closest pair of stars is only 1/3 of a light-year apart (0.3 arcseconds in the sky). This furious rate of mass loss from these super-hot stars is evident in the Hubble picture that reveals dramatic shapes sculpted in the nebula's wall of glowing gases by violent stellar winds and shock waves. A pair of bright stars in the center of the nebula is pouring out most of the ultraviolet radiation to make the nebula glow. Just above them, a small dark knot is all that is left of the cold cloud of molecular hydrogen and dust the stars were born from. Dark absorption lanes of residual dust trisect the nebula. The nebula offers a unique opportunity for a close-up glimpse at the firestorm' accompanying the birth of extremely massive stars, each blazing with the brilliance of 300,000 of our suns. Such galactic fireworks were much more common billions of years ago in the early universe, when most star formation took place. The "natural- color" view was assembled from separate images taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, in ultraviolet light and two narrow emission lines of ionized Hydrogen (H-alpha, H-beta).
Date 09/24/1997
NASA Center Hubble Space Telescope Center
Nearby Massive Star Cluster …
Title Nearby Massive Star Cluster Yields Insights into Early Universe
Massive Infant Stars Rock th …
Title Massive Infant Stars Rock their Cradle
A Butterfly-Shaped "Papillon …
Title A Butterfly-Shaped "Papillon" Nebula Yields Secrets of Massive Star Birth
Hubble Sends Season's Greeti …
Title Hubble Sends Season's Greetings from the Cosmos to Earth
Hubble Hunts Down Binary Obj …
Title Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
Hubble Hunts Down Binary Obj …
Title Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
Hubble Hunts Down Binary Obj …
Title Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
Hubble Hunts Down Binary Obj …
Title Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
Hubble Hunts Down Binary Obj …
Title Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
Hubble Hunts Down Binary Obj …
Title Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
Hubble Hunts Down Binary Obj …
Title Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
Hubble Peeks into a Stellar …
Title Hubble Peeks into a Stellar Nursery in a Nearby Galaxy
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ]
Hubble Hunts Down Binary Obj …
Title Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
Hubble Hunts Down Binary Obj …
Title Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
Hubble Hunts Down Binary Obj …
Title Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
Too Close for Comfort: Hubbl …
Title Too Close for Comfort: Hubble Discovers an Evaporating Planet
Too Close for Comfort: Hubbl …
Title Too Close for Comfort: Hubble Discovers an Evaporating Planet
Too Close for Comfort: Hubbl …
Title Too Close for Comfort: Hubble Discovers an Evaporating Planet
Too Close for Comfort: Hubbl …
Title Too Close for Comfort: Hubble Discovers an Evaporating Planet
Too Close for Comfort: Hubbl …
Title Too Close for Comfort: Hubble Discovers an Evaporating Planet
Too Close for Comfort: Hubbl …
Title Too Close for Comfort: Hubble Discovers an Evaporating Planet
Too Close for Comfort: Hubbl …
Title Too Close for Comfort: Hubble Discovers an Evaporating Planet
Too Close for Comfort: Hubbl …
Title Too Close for Comfort: Hubble Discovers an Evaporating Planet
Too Close for Comfort: Hubbl …
Title Too Close for Comfort: Hubble Discovers an Evaporating Planet
Hubble Probes Layer-cake Str …
Title Hubble Probes Layer-cake Structure of Alien World's Atmosphere
Hubble Probes Layer-cake Str …
Title Hubble Probes Layer-cake Structure of Alien World's Atmosphere
Hubble Probes Layer-cake Str …
Title Hubble Probes Layer-cake Structure of Alien World's Atmosphere
Oxygen and Carbon Found in A …
Title Oxygen and Carbon Found in Atmosphere of an Extrasolar Planet
General Information What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has detected, for the first time ever, the presence of oxygen and carbon in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2004/44/text/ ]
Hubble Finds that Extrasolar …
Title Hubble Finds that Extrasolar Planet Has a Hazy Sunset
Photo Description Erik Lindbergh christens NASA's 747 Clipper Lindbergh, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, with a special commemorative concoction representing local, NASA, and industry partners. The liquid consisted of a small amount of California wine representing NASA Dryden where the aircraft will be stationed, a small amount of Dr. Pepper (a Waco, TX invention), a quantity of French bottled water (to symbolize Charles Lindbergh's flight to Paris on this date), and a dash of German beer to represent the SOFIA German industry partners.
Project Description NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is being developed as a world-class observatory complementing the Hubble Space Telescope. The observatory, which features a German-built 98.4-inch (2.5 meter) diameter infrared telescope weighing 20 metric tons mounted in a highly-modified Boeing 747SP aircraft, has begun its flight test phase in a joint program by NASA and DLR Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center). Major aircraft modifications and installation of the telescope was performed by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems facility at Waco, Texas. Systems integration and flight test operations are being conducted at NASA's Dryden Flight Resarch Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. SOFIA's science and mission operations are managed jointly by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and the Deutsches SOFIA Institut (DSI), and are based at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field near San Jose, Calif. Once operational in the 2009-2010 period, SOFIA will be the world's primary infrared observatory during a mission lasting up to 20 years, as well as an outstanding laboratory for developing and testing instrumentation and detector technology.
Photo Date 05/21/2007
N81: Star Cradle in the SMC
Title N81: Star Cradle in the SMC
Explanation This dramatic Hubble Space Telescope image captures [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/2000/30/index.html ] the birth of a cluster of massive stars. The newborn stars are seen just as they emerge from their natal nebula. Only 12 light-years across, the nebula is cataloged as N81 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980727.html ] and lies some 200,000 light-years away within a neighboring galaxy known as the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000430.html ]). Other nebulae which surround massive star clusters can be a thousand or more [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980411.html ] light-years across. But, prior to the Hubble observations, it was unknown whether N81 [ http://wwwusr.obspm.fr/~heydari/projects/N81/ ] and similar [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990729.html ], compact emission nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ] were cradles of single stars or star clusters. In the case of N81 [ http://cdsads.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query? bibcode=1999A%26A...344..848H&db_key=AST&high=36b839a2bf00472 ], the Hubble data clearly reveal multiple hot stars, some nearly 300,000 times as luminous as the Sun. The colorful image emphasizes [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2000oct5/ n81table.html ] graceful arcs of dark interstellar dust and fluorescing gas sculpted by the young stars' energetic winds and radiation.
Water Claimed in Evaporating …
Title Water Claimed in Evaporating Planet HD 209458b
Explanation Planet HD 209458b [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991115.html ] is evaporating. It is so close to its parent star that its heated atmosphere is simply expanding away into space. Some astronomers studying this distant planetary system now believe they have detected water vapor among the gases being liberated. This controversial claim [ http://lanl.arxiv.org/abs/0704.1114 ], if true, would mark the first instance of planetary water beyond our Solar System, and indicate anew that life might be sustainable elsewhere in the universe. HD 209458 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011128.html ]b is known as a hot Jupiter [ http://www.physorg.com/news11909.html ] type system because it involves a Jupiter-type planet in a Mercury-type orbit. Although spectroscopic [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectroscopy ] observations from the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010806.html ] are the basis for the water detection claim, the planetary system is too small and faint to image. Therefore, an artist's impression of the HD 209458b system is shown above [ http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/html/heic0303b.html ]. Research into the atmospheric composition of HD 209458b [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_209458_b ] and other extrasolar planets [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrasolar_planet ] is continuing.
New Stars Destroying NGC 174 …
Title New Stars Destroying NGC 1748
Explanation NGC 1748 cannot contain all the new stars it has formed. The young stars, the most massive of which are bright blue [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010207.html ], emit so much energy they are pushing out and dispersing the gas and dust [ http://eta.pha.jhu.edu/~danforth/superfit/superfit.html ] that comprise this star forming nebula [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/2001/11/pr-photos.html ]. Within only the past hundred thousand years, these stars have altered the bubble-like shape [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981118.html ] of the nebula and will likely destroy the nebula over the next few million years. Of particular interest [ http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0103414 ] is a bright region surrounded by a pink ring of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980104.html ] and gas visible on the left of the above recently released picture [ http://hubble.esa.int/hubble/news/index.cfm?oid=26615 ] by the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970306.html ]. The center of this region is being evacuated by the wind [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wsolwind.html ] of the brightest star in the nebula. A lane of cooler dust connects NGC 1748 to a larger more diffuse nebula seen on the right. NGC 1748 [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/2001/11/fastfacts.html ] spans about 25 light-years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ] in diameter and can be found in our galactic neighbor: the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000222.html ].
Halloween and the Ghost Head …
Title Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula
Explanation Halloween's origin [ http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/holiday_origins1.html ] is ancient and astronomical. Since the fifth century BC, Halloween [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween ] has been celebrated as a cross-quarter day [ http://www-astronomy.mps.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast161/Unit2/time.html ], a day halfway between an equinox [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000923.html ] (equal day / equal night) and a solstice [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971221.html ] (minimum day / maximum night in the northern hemisphere). With our modern calendar [ http://webexhibits.org/calendars/year-countries.html ], however, the real cross-quarter day [ http://www.whyy.org/tv12/franklinfacts/oct3100ff.html ] will occur next week. Another cross-quarter day is Groundhog's Day [ http://www.noblenet.org/year/groundhog.htm ]. Halloween's [ http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/010511.html ] modern celebration retains historic roots [ http://www.neopagan.net/Halloween-Origins.html ] in dressing to scare away the spirits of the dead. Perhaps a fitting modern tribute to this ancient holiday is the above-pictured Ghost Head Nebula [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04226 ] taken with the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010806.html ]. Appearing similar to the icon of a fictional [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casper_the_Friendly_Ghost ] ghost [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost ], NGC 2080 is actually a star forming region [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/stellar_nurseries.html ] in the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010804.html ], a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/milky_way.html ]. The Ghost Head Nebula spans about 50 light-years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ] and is shown in representative colors.
Halloween and the Ghost Head …
Title Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula
Explanation Halloween's origin [ http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/longterm/LessonPlans/Byrnes/halloween.html ] is ancient and astronomical. Since the fifth century BC, Halloween [ http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/ ] has been celebrated as a cross-quarter day [ http://www-astronomy.mps.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast161/Unit2/time.html ], a day halfway between an equinox [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000923.html ] (equal day / equal night) and a solstice [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971221.html ] (minimum day / maximum night in the northern hemisphere). With our modern calendar [ http://webexhibits.org/calendars/year-countries.html ], however, the real cross-quarter day [ http://www.whyy.org/tv12/franklinfacts/oct3100ff.html ] will occur next week. Another cross-quarter day is Groundhog's Day [ http://www.hansenplanetarium.net/CQGroundhog.html ]. Halloween's [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/proto/ halloween_sounds.html ] modern celebration retains historic roots [ http://www.utah.edu/planetarium/CQHalloween.html ] in dressing to scare away the spirits of the dead. A perhaps-fitting modern tribute to this ancient holiday is the above-pictured Ghost Head Nebula [ http://hubble.esa.int/hubble/news/image.cfm?oid=28749&ooid=28750 ] taken with the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010806.html ]. Appearing similar to the icon of a fictional ghost [ http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/saturday/sa1025.php ], NGC 2080 is actually a star forming region [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/stellar_nurseries.html ] in the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010804.html ], a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/milky_way.html ]. The Ghost Head Nebula spans about 50 light-years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ] and is shown in representative colors.
N159 and the Papillon Nebula
Title N159 and the Papillon Nebula
Explanation In a search for massive star [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990409.html ]s, the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010806.html ] has peered into yet another spectacular region of star formation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011230.html ]. This nebula, known as N159 [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1996ApJ...465..738I ], spans over 150 light-years and is located in the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010804.html ] galaxy, about 170,000 light years [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html ] distant. Visible in the above picture [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/1999/23/image/a ] are bright newborn stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031026.html ], dark filaments [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020703.html ] of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ], and red-glowing hydrogen gas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980828.html ]. The aptly named Papillon Nebula [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1999astro.ph..7149H ] (French for butterfly), is the unusual central compact cloud, highlighted in the inset. Reasons for the bipolar shape [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020106.html ] of the Papillon Nebula are currently unknown, but might indicate the presence of unseen high-mass star [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000611.html ]s and a thick gaseous disk [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030208.html ].
N81: Starbirth in the SMC
Title N81: Starbirth in the SMC
Explanation A very young star cluster has been discovered [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1998/25/pr.html ] in a neighboring galaxy. The stars found in this cluster, dubbed N81, are so young and massive that they furiously eject matter and light up the surrounding nebula. The ejected stellar winds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960510.html ] combine and interact to sculpt beautiful and complex structures. Visible near the center of the above representative-color picture [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1998/25/pr-photos.html ] are two of N81 [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=A85-31916&db_key=AST&high=34f6e1de7f01013 ]'s brightest stars. Just above them lies a dark knot of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980104.html ] and gas where these massive stars probably originated. The home galaxy of this stellar nursery is the Small Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980125.html ] (SMC) located about 200,000 light-years away.
N159 and the Papillon Nebula
Title N159 and the Papillon Nebula
Explanation In a search for massive star [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990409.html ]s, the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970306.html ] has peered into yet another spectacular region of star formation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990607.html ]. This nebula, known as N159 [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1996ApJ...465..738I ], spans over 150 light-years and is located in the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980124.html ] galaxy, about 170,000 light years distant. Visible in the above picture [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/23/index.html ] are bright newborn stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990502.html ], dark filaments [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980318.html ] of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990509.html ], and red-glowing hydrogen gas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980828.html ]. The aptly named Papillon Nebula (French for butterfly), is the unusual central compact cloud, highlighted in the inset. Reasons for the bipolar shape [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990321.html ] of the Papillon Nebula are currently unknown, but might indicate the presence of unseen high-mass star [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960902.html ]s and a thick gaseous disk [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990611.html ].
Hydrogen Blob N88A in the Sm …
Title Hydrogen Blob N88A in the Small Magellanic Cloud
Explanation The bright blob of hydrogen gas [ http://wwwusr.obspm.fr/~heydari/projects/N88 ] cataloged as N88A is seen at the right. It measures a mere 3 light years across. Emerging from the cool, dusty interstellar medium in a nearby irregular galaxy known as the Small Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980125.html ], N88A hides hot young stars at its core. The false-color [ http://aibn47.astro.uni-bonn.de/~gallery/articles/imagecolor.html ] Hubble Space Telescope image was recorded in the characteristic "H-alpha" light emitted by hydrogen atoms [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/light/absorption.html ] as they are ionized by the young star's energetic ultraviolet light and then recombine. Other regions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980828.html ] of ionized hydrogen (H II regions [ http://www.treasure-troves.com/astro/HIIRegion.html ]) which surround new born stars can be over a thousand light-years across [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960816.html ] but astronomers now recognize that these small ionized hydrogen blobs contain some of the most massive stars known.
Ghost Head Nebula
PIA04226
Wide Field Planetary Camera …
Title Ghost Head Nebula
Original Caption Released with Image Looking like a colorful holiday card, a new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveals a vibrant green and red nebula far from Earth. The image of NGC 2080, taken by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, designed and built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is available online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/wfpc . Images like this help astronomers investigate star formation in nebulas. NGC 2080, nicknamed "The Ghost Head Nebula," is one of a chain of star-forming regions lying south of the 30 Doradus nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. 30 Doradus is the largest star-forming complex in the local group of galaxies. This "enhanced color" picture is composed of three narrow-band-filter images obtained by Hubble on March 28, 2000. The red and blue light come from regions of hydrogen gas heated by nearby stars. The green light on the left comes from glowing oxygen. The energy to illuminate the green light is supplied by a powerful stellar wind, a stream of high-speed particles coming from a massive star just outside the image. The central white region is a combination of all three emissions and indicates a core of hot, massive stars in this star-formation region. Intense emission from these stars has carved a bowl-shaped cavity in surrounding gas. In the white region, the two bright areas (the "eyes of the ghost") - named A1 (left) and A2 (right) -- are very hot, glowing "blobs" of hydrogen and oxygen. The bubble in A1 is produced by the hot, intense radiation and powerful stellar wind from one massive star. A2 contains more dust and several hidden, massive stars. The massive stars in A1 and A2 must have formed within the last 10,000 years, since their natal gas shrouds are not yet disrupted by the powerful radiation of the newborn stars. The Space Telescope Science Institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international co-operation between the European Space Agency and NASA. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.
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