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Images of Large Magellanic Cloud and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
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A Supernova's Shockwaves
| Title |
A Supernova's Shockwaves |
| Description |
Supernovae are the explosive deaths of the universe's most massive stars. In death, these volatile creatures blast tons of energetic waves into the cosmos, destroying much of the dust surrounding them. This false-color composite from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows the remnant of one such explosion. The remnant, called N132D, is the wispy pink shell of gas at the center of this image. The pinkish color reveals a clash between the explosion's high-energy shockwaves and surrounding dust grains. In the background, small organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are shown as tints of green. The blue spots represent stars in our galaxy along this line of sight. N132D is located 163,000 light-years away in a neighboring galaxy called, the Large Magellanic Cloud. In this image, infrared light at 4.5 microns is mapped to blue, 8.0 microns to green and 24 microns to red. Broadband X-ray light is mapped purple. The infrared data were taken by Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) and Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS), while the X-ray data were captured by Chandra. |
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Stellar Debris in the Large
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| Title |
Stellar Debris in the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| Description |
This is a composite image of N49, the brightest supernova remnant in optical light in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Chandra X-ray image (blue) shows million-degree gas in the center. Much cooler gas at the outer parts of the remnant is seen in the infrared image from Spitzer (red). While astronomers expected that dust particles were generating most of the infrared emission, the study of this object indicates that much of the infrared is instead generated in heated gas. The unique filamentary structure seen in the optical image by Hubble (white & yellow) has long set N49 apart from other well understood supernova remnants, as most supernova remnants appear roughly circular in visible light. Recent mapping of molecular clouds suggests that this supernova remnant is expanding into a denser region to the southeast, which would cause its asymmetrical appearance. This idea is confirmed by the Chandra data. Although X-rays reveal a round shell of emission, the X-rays also show brightening in the southeast, confirming the idea of colliding material in that area. |
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Luminous Blue Variable: Dest
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Luminous Blue Variable: Destined To Be a Supernova? |
| Description |
A Luminous Blue Variable star (inset) in our galaxy, named HD168625, surrounded by a bipolar nebula that is similar to the one around SN1987A. SN1987A was a supernova that exploded in 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and was the nearest supernova in about 400 years. The diagram explains the bipolar nebula around HD168625, which has a geometry that makes it a near twin of the famous nebula around SN1987A. Rings near the equator are sometimes seen around stars that shed mass from their surfaces, but the larger rings above the poles are very rare. Tipped toward Earth and illuminated by the star, the rings look like ellipses in images taken with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The image was taken in 2004 by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope at wavelengths between 3.6 and 8 microns. The massive star at the center, which lies within the constellation Sagittarius, is about 7,200 light-years from Earth. |
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Luminous Blue Variable: Dest
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| Title |
Luminous Blue Variable: Destined To Be a Supernova? |
| Description |
A Luminous Blue Variable star (inset) in our galaxy, named HD168625, surrounded by a bipolar nebula that is similar to the one around SN1987A. SN1987A was a supernova that exploded in 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and was the nearest supernova in about 400 years. The diagram explains the bipolar nebula around HD168625, which has a geometry that makes it a near twin of the famous nebula around SN1987A. Rings near the equator are sometimes seen around stars that shed mass from their surfaces, but the larger rings above the poles are very rare. Tipped toward Earth and illuminated by the star, the rings look like ellipses in images taken with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The image was taken in 2004 by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope at wavelengths between 3.6 and 8 microns. The massive star at the center, which lies within the constellation Sagittarius, is about 7,200 light-years from Earth. |
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Luminous Blue Variable: Dest
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| Title |
Luminous Blue Variable: Destined To Be a Supernova? |
| Description |
A Luminous Blue Variable star (inset) in our galaxy, named HD168625, surrounded by a bipolar nebula that is similar to the one around SN1987A. SN1987A was a supernova that exploded in 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and was the nearest supernova in about 400 years. The diagram explains the bipolar nebula around HD168625, which has a geometry that makes it a near twin of the famous nebula around SN1987A. Rings near the equator are sometimes seen around stars that shed mass from their surfaces, but the larger rings above the poles are very rare. Tipped toward Earth and illuminated by the star, the rings look like ellipses in images taken with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The image was taken in 2004 by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope at wavelengths between 3.6 and 8 microns. The massive star at the center, which lies within the constellation Sagittarius, is about 7,200 light-years from Earth. |
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Supersized Disk
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Supersized Disk |
| Description |
This illustration compares the size of a gargantuan star and its surrounding dusty disk (top) to that of our solar system. Monstrous disks like this one were discovered around two "hypergiant" stars by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Astronomers believe these disks might contain the early "seeds" of planets, or possibly leftover debris from planets that already formed. The hypergiant stars, called R 66 and R 126, are located about 170,000 light-years away in our Milky Way's nearest neighbor galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The stars are about 100 times wider than the sun, or big enough to encompass an orbit equivalent to Earth's. The plump stars are heavy, at 30 and 70 times the mass of the sun, respectively. They are the most massive stars known to sport disks. The disks themselves are also bloated, with masses equal to several Jupiters. The disks begin at a distance approximately 120 times greater than that between Earth and the sun, or 120 astronomical units, and terminate at a distance of about 2,500 astronomical units. Hypergiant stars are the puffed-up, aging descendants of the most massive class of stars, called "O" stars. The stars are so massive that their cores ultimately collapse under their own weight, triggering incredible explosions called supernovae. If any planets circled near the stars during one of these blasts, they would most likely be destroyed. The orbital distances in this picture are plotted on a logarithmic scale. This means that a given distance shown here represents proportionally larger actual distances as you move to the right. The sun and planets in our solar system have been scaled up in size for better viewing. |
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Supersized Disk
| Title |
Supersized Disk |
| Description |
This illustration compares the size of a gargantuan star and its surrounding dusty disk (top) to that of our solar system. Monstrous disks like this one were discovered around two "hypergiant" stars by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Astronomers believe these disks might contain the early "seeds" of planets, or possibly leftover debris from planets that already formed. The hypergiant stars, called R 66 and R 126, are located about 170,000 light-years away in our Milky Way's nearest neighbor galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The stars are about 100 times wider than the sun, or big enough to encompass an orbit equivalent to Earth's. The plump stars are heavy, at 30 and 70 times the mass of the sun, respectively. They are the most massive stars known to sport disks. The disks themselves are also bloated, with masses equal to several Jupiters. The disks begin at a distance approximately 120 times greater than that between Earth and the sun, or 120 astronomical units, and terminate at a distance of about 2,500 astronomical units. Hypergiant stars are the puffed-up, aging descendants of the most massive class of stars, called "O" stars. The stars are so massive that their cores ultimately collapse under their own weight, triggering incredible explosions called supernovae. If any planets circled near the stars during one of these blasts, they would most likely be destroyed. The orbital distances in this picture are plotted on a logarithmic scale. This means that a given distance shown here represents proportionally larger actual distances as you move to the right. The sun and planets in our solar system have been scaled up in size for better viewing. |
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Supersized Disk
| Title |
Supersized Disk |
| Description |
This illustration compares the size of a gargantuan star and its surrounding dusty disk (top) to that of our solar system. Monstrous disks like this one were discovered around two "hypergiant" stars by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Astronomers believe these disks might contain the early "seeds" of planets, or possibly leftover debris from planets that already formed. The hypergiant stars, called R 66 and R 126, are located about 170,000 light-years away in our Milky Way's nearest neighbor galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The stars are about 100 times wider than the sun, or big enough to encompass an orbit equivalent to Earth's. The plump stars are heavy, at 30 and 70 times the mass of the sun, respectively. They are the most massive stars known to sport disks. The disks themselves are also bloated, with masses equal to several Jupiters. The disks begin at a distance approximately 120 times greater than that between Earth and the sun, or 120 astronomical units, and terminate at a distance of about 2,500 astronomical units. Hypergiant stars are the puffed-up, aging descendants of the most massive class of stars, called "O" stars. The stars are so massive that their cores ultimately collapse under their own weight, triggering incredible explosions called supernovae. If any planets circled near the stars during one of these blasts, they would most likely be destroyed. The orbital distances in this picture are plotted on a logarithmic scale. This means that a given distance shown here represents proportionally larger actual distances as you move to the right. The sun and planets in our solar system have been scaled up in size for better viewing. |
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Our Chaotic Neighbor
| Title |
Our Chaotic Neighbor |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of more than 100,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the whole galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange: 4.5-micron light is green, and 3.6-micron light is blue. |
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Our Chaotic Neighbor
| Title |
Our Chaotic Neighbor |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of more than 100,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the whole galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange: 4.5-micron light is green, and 3.6-micron light is blue. |
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Our Chaotic Neighbor
| Title |
Our Chaotic Neighbor |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of more than 100,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the whole galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange: 4.5-micron light is green, and 3.6-micron light is blue. |
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What's Old Is New in the Lar
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| Title |
What's Old Is New in the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of 300,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red color around these bright regions is from dust heated by stars, while the red dots scattered throughout the picture are either dusty, old stars or more distant galaxies. The greenish clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. Astronomers say this image allows them to quantify the process by which space dust ? the same stuff that makes up planets and even people ? is recycled in a galaxy. The picture shows dust at its three main cosmic hangouts: around the young stars, where it is being consumed (red-tinted, bright clouds), scattered about in the space between stars (greenish clouds), and in expelled shells of material from old stars (randomly-spaced red dots). The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the entire galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer. Light with wavelengths of 3.6 (blue) and 8 (green) microns was captured by the telescope's infrared array camera, 24-micron light (red) was detected by the multiband imaging photometer. |
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What's Old Is New in the Lar
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| Title |
What's Old Is New in the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of 300,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red color around these bright regions is from dust heated by stars, while the red dots scattered throughout the picture are either dusty, old stars or more distant galaxies. The greenish clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. Astronomers say this image allows them to quantify the process by which space dust ? the same stuff that makes up planets and even people ? is recycled in a galaxy. The picture shows dust at its three main cosmic hangouts: around the young stars, where it is being consumed (red-tinted, bright clouds), scattered about in the space between stars (greenish clouds), and in expelled shells of material from old stars (randomly-spaced red dots). The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the entire galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer. Light with wavelengths of 3.6 (blue) and 8 (green) microns was captured by the telescope's infrared array camera, 24-micron light (red) was detected by the multiband imaging photometer. |
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What's Old Is New in the Lar
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| Title |
What's Old Is New in the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| Description |
This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of 300,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red color around these bright regions is from dust heated by stars, while the red dots scattered throughout the picture are either dusty, old stars or more distant galaxies. The greenish clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. Astronomers say this image allows them to quantify the process by which space dust ? the same stuff that makes up planets and even people ? is recycled in a galaxy. The picture shows dust at its three main cosmic hangouts: around the young stars, where it is being consumed (red-tinted, bright clouds), scattered about in the space between stars (greenish clouds), and in expelled shells of material from old stars (randomly-spaced red dots). The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the entire galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer. Light with wavelengths of 3.6 (blue) and 8 (green) microns was captured by the telescope's infrared array camera, 24-micron light (red) was detected by the multiband imaging photometer. |
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The Tarantula Nebula
| Title |
The Tarantula Nebula |
| Description |
NASA's new Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly known as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, has captured in stunning detail the spidery filaments and newborn stars of the Tarantula Nebula, a rich star-forming region also known as 30 Doradus. This cloud of glowing dust and gas is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the nearest galaxy to our own Milky Way, and is visible primarily from the Southern Hemisphere. This image of an interstellar cauldron provides a snapshot of the complex physical processes and chemistry that govern the birth -- and death -- of stars. At the heart of the nebula is a compact cluster of stars, known as R136, which contains very massive and young stars. The brightest of these blue supergiant stars are up to 100 times more massive than the Sun, and are at least 100,000 times more luminous. These stars will live fast and die young, at least by astronomical standards, exhausting their nuclear fuel in a few million years. The Spitzer Space Telescope image was obtained with an infrared array camera that is sensitive to invisible infrared light at wavelengths that are about ten times longer than visible light. In this four-color composite, emission at 3.6 microns is depicted in blue, 4.5 microns in green, 5.8 microns in orange, and 8.0 microns in red. The image covers a region that is three-quarters the size of the full moon. The Spitzer observations penetrate the dust clouds throughout the Tarantula to reveal previously hidden sites of star formation. Within the luminescent nebula, many holes are also apparent. These voids are produced by highly energetic winds originating from the massive stars in the central star cluster. The structures at the edges of these voids are particularly interesting. Dense pillars of gas and dust, sculpted by the stellar radiation, denote the birthplace of future generations of stars. The Spitzer image provides information about the composition of the material at the edges of the voids. The surface layers closest to the massive stars are subject to the most intense stellar radiation. Here, the atoms are stripped of their electrons, and the green color of these regions is indicative of the radiation from this highly excited, or 'ionized,' material. The ubiquitous red filaments seen throughout the image reveal the presence of molecular material thought to be rich in hydrocarbons. The Tarantula Nebula is the nearest example of a 'starburst' phenomenon, in which intense episodes of star formation occur on massive scales. Most starbursts, however, are associated with dusty and distant galaxies. Spitzer infrared observations of the Tarantula provide astronomers with an unprecedented view of the lifecycle of massive stars and their vital role in regulating the birth of future stellar and planetary systems. |
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Spitzer Infrared Image of N4
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| Name |
Spitzer Infrared Image of N49 |
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N49: Stellar Debris in the L
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| Name |
N49: Stellar Debris in the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| Category |
Supernovas & Supernova Remnants |
| Release Date |
November 29, 2006 |
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Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
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| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
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Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
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| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
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Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
…
| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
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Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
…
| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
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Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
…
| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
|
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
…
| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
|
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
…
| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
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Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
…
| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
|
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
…
| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
|
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
…
| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
|
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
…
| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
|
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage
…
| Title |
Vast Stellar Disks Set Stage for Planet Birth in New Hubble Images |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Dramatic pictures of eerie disks of dust encircling young stars are giving astronomers a new look at what may be the early formative stages of planetary systems. Although these pictures from the Hubble telescope don't show planets, the edge-on disks seen by the telescope provide some of the clearest views to date of potential planetary construction zones, say researchers. The images also offer a peek at what happened 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth and other planets in our solar system began to condense out of a pancake-shaped disk of dust and gas centered on the young Sun. These images were taken by Hubble's infrared camera. All of the objects in these pictures are extremely young stars, buried in the centers of these pictures. The wisps of material surrounding the young stars are glowing from reflected starlight. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1999/05/text/ ] |
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Hubble's Panoramic Portrait
…
| Title |
Hubble's Panoramic Portrait of a Vast Star-Forming Region |
|
Hubble's Panoramic Portrait
…
| Title |
Hubble's Panoramic Portrait of a Vast Star-Forming Region |
|
Hubble's Panoramic Portrait
…
| Title |
Hubble's Panoramic Portrait of a Vast Star-Forming Region |
|
Celestial Fireworks
| Title |
Celestial Fireworks |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Tale of Two Clusters Yields
…
| Title |
Tale of Two Clusters Yields Secrets of Star Birth in the Early Universe |
|
The Large Magellanic Cloud i
…
| Title |
The Large Magellanic Cloud in Infrared |
| Explanation |
Where does dust collect in galaxies? To help find out, a team of researchers [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2005AAS...207.6345M ] took the most detailed image ever of gas clouds and dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ] in the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060510.html ] (LMC) galaxy. The composite image, shown above [ http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-17/ssc2006-17b.shtml ], was taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope [ http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/about/index.shtml ] in infrared light [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/infrared.html ], which highlights the natural glow of the warm materials returned to the interstellar medium [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020210.html ] by stars. The above mosaic [ http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-17/ssc2006-17b.shtml ] combines 300,000 individual pointings to create a composite 1,000-times sharper than any previous LMC image. Visible are vast [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050306.html ] clouds of gas and dust [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_dust ], showing in graphic detail that dust prefers regions near young stars (red-tinted bright clouds), scattered unevenly between the stars (green-tinted clouds), and in shells around old stars (small red dots). Also visible are huge cavern [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060226.html ]s cleared away by the energetic outflows of massive former stars. The faint blue (false-color) glow across the bottom is the combined light from the old stars in the central bar [ http://www-int.stsci.edu/~marel/lmc.html ] of the LMC. The LMC [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Magellanic_Cloud ] is a satellite galaxy [ http://www.astro.uu.se/~ns/mwsat.html ] to our own Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000518.html ], spans about 70,000 light years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ], and lies about 160,000 light years away toward the southern constellation of the Swordfish [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swordfish ] (Dorado [ http://www.astronomical.org/portal/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=33 ]). |
|
NGC1850: Star Cluster in the
…
| Title |
NGC1850: Star Cluster in the LMC |
| Explanation |
NGC1850 is a large cluster of stars located a mere 166,000 light-years from Earth in our neighboring galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000222.html ] (LMC). The colors [ http://aibn47.astro.uni-bonn.de/~gallery/articles/ color.html ] in this beautiful Hubble Space Telescope composite image [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/94/40.html ] of the cluster reveal [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990312.html ] different populations of stars. Yellowish stars are the main cluster stars, sun-like main sequence hydrogen burners [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/gifcity/msblues.html ] about 50 million years old. The white stars are massive, hotter, and younger, about 4 million years old. Radiating strongly in ultraviolet light, they represent a loose cluster [ http://www.seds.org/messier/cluster.html ] themselves, perhaps within 200 light-years of the main cluster. Massive stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960509.html ] which formed in the older main cluster have long since disappeared, ending their lives in spectacular supernova explosions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970225.html ]. Did expanding debris from these supernovae trigger the formation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000219.html ] of the nearby younger cluster? Probably so. In any event, a few million years from now a similar fate awaits the massive stars of the younger cluster - burning brightly but briefly before they explode sending new clouds of stellar debris [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990725.html ] into space. |
|
Star Cluster R136 Bursts Out
| Title |
Star Cluster R136 Bursts Out |
| Explanation |
In the center of star-forming region 30 Doradus [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/n2070.html ] lies a huge cluster [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/1999/33/text/ ] of the largest, hottest, most massive stars known. These stars, known as the star cluster R136 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010730.html ], and part of the surrounding nebula are captured here in this gorgeous visible-light image [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/1999/33/image/d ] from the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010806.html ]. Gas and dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ] clouds in 30 Doradus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?30+Doradus ], also known as the Tarantula [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula ] Nebula, have been sculpted into elongated shapes by powerful winds [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wsolwind.html ] and ultraviolet radiation [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/uv.html ] from these hot cluster stars. The 30 Doradus Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030823.html ] lies within a neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040902.html ], located a mere 170,000 light-years [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html ] away. |
|
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. |
|
A Southern Sky View
| Title |
A Southern Sky View |
| Explanation |
On 1996 March 22, a Galaxy and a comet shared the southern sky. They were captured together, from horizon to horizon, in the night sky above Loomberah, New South Wales, Australia [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/as.html ] by astronomer Gordon Garradd [ http://members.ozemail.com.au/~loomberah/ ]. Garradd used a home made all-sky camera with a fisheye lens [ http://www.zeta.org.au/~andrewa/ajaa31.htm ], resulting in a circular 200 degree field of view. This gorgeous sky view [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/images/96B2/96B2_960322_gg1.txt ] was dominated by the luminous band of our Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/milky_way.html ] cut by dramatic, dark interstellar dust clouds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990919.html ]. Along with the bright stars of our Galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010804.html ] is visible at the lower left. That night sky was also graced by the long, lovely, bluish tail of Comet Hyakutake [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980717.html ], which can be seen toward the top of the image, near the bright star Arcturus [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/hr/5340.html ]. Bright city lights from nearby Tamworth [ http://www.tamworthonline.com.au/ ] glow along the Northwestern horizon. |
|
Massive Stars of 30 Doradus
| Title |
Massive Stars of 30 Doradus |
| Explanation |
In the center of star-forming region 30 Doradus [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/n2070.html ] lies a huge cluster of the largest, hottest, most massive stars known. These stars and part of the surrounding nebula are captured here in this gorgeous visible-light Hubble Space Telescope image [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/33/pr-photos.html ]. Gas and dust clouds in 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020613.html ], have been sculpted into elongated shapes by powerful winds and ultraviolet radiation from these hot cluster stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990221.html ]. Insets in the picture represent corresponding views from the Hubble's infrared camera [ http://www.stsci.edu/instruments/nicmos/ ] where each square measures 15.5 light-years [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html ] across. Penetrating the obscuring dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990509.html ], these infrared images themselves offer detailed pictures of star formation within [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/95/44.html ] the nebula's collapsing clouds, revealing the presence of newborn massive stars. The 30 Doradus Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991027.html ] lies within a neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010804.html ], located a mere 170,000 light-years away. |
|
NGC1850: Star Cluster in the
…
| Title |
NGC1850: Star Cluster in the LMC |
| Explanation |
NGC1850 is a large cluster of stars located a mere 166,000 light-years from Earth [ http://web4.si.edu/hologlobe/si/earth.htm ] in our neighboring galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961023.html ] (LMC). The colors in this beautiful Hubble Space Telescope composite image [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/94/40.html ] of the cluster reveal different populations of stars. Yellowish stars are the main cluster stars, sun-like main sequence hydrogen burners [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/gifcity/msblues.html ] about 50 million years old. The white stars are massive, hotter, and younger, about 4 million years old. Radiating strongly in ultraviolet light, they represent a loose cluster [ http://www.seds.org/messier/cluster.html ] themselves, perhaps within 200 light-years of the main cluster. Massive stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960509.html ] which formed in the older main cluster have long since disappeared, ending their lives in spectacular supernova explosions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970225.html ]. Did expanding debris from these supernovae trigger the formation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960625.html ] of the nearby younger cluster? Probably so. In any event, a few million years from now a similar fate awaits the massive stars of the younger cluster - burning brightly but briefly before they explode sending new clouds of stellar debris [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960307.html ] into space. |
|
Henize 206: Cosmic Generatio
…
| Title |
Henize 206: Cosmic Generations |
| Explanation |
Peering into a dusty nebula in nearby galaxy [ http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/sattelit.html ] the Large Magellanic Cloud, infrared cameras on board the Spitzer Space Telescope recorded this detailed view [ http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2004-04/ index.shtml ] of stellar nursery Henize 206 filled with newborn stars. The stars appear as white spots within the swirls of dust and gas in the false-color infrared image [ http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ ]. Near the top, the sweeping telltale arcs of a supernova remnant [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/xray_sources/ supernovas.html ] are also visible, expanding debris from the final explosion of a massive star [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991130.html ]. The proximity of the ancient supernova indicates that the shockwave from that stellar death explosion itself likely triggered the formation [ http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2004-04/ ssc2004-04b.shtml ] of the new generation of emerging stars, compressing the gas and dust within Henize 206 and continuing the cosmic cycle [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/teachers/lifecycles/ stars.html ] of star death and star birth. At the distance of the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010804.html ], about 163,000 light-years, this image covers an area about 1,000 light-years across. |
|
A Southern Sky View
| Title |
A Southern Sky View |
| Explanation |
From horizon to horizon, the night sky above Loomberah, New South Wales, Australia was photographed by astronomer Gordon Garradd [ http://usrwww.mpx.com.au/~gjg/ ] on March 22, 1996. Garradd used a home made all-sky camera with a fish-eye lens [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970825.html ], resulting in a circular 200 degree field of view. This gorgeous sky view [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/images/96B2/96B2_960322_gg1.txt ] is dominated by the luminous band of the Milky Way [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960503.html ] cut by dramatic, dark interstellar dust clouds. Along with the bright stars of our Galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980203.html ] is visible at the upper right (about 1 o'clock) and the long, lovely, bluish tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960502.html ] of comet Hyakutake [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/comets_long/96B2.html ] can be seen toward the bottom of the image, near the bright star Arcturus [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/hr/5340.html ]. Bright city lights from nearby Tamworth glow along the Northwestern horizon. |
|
R136: The Massive Stars of 3
…
| Title |
R136: The Massive Stars of 30 Doradus |
| Explanation |
In the center of star-forming region 30 Doradus [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/n2070.html ] lies a huge cluster [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/1999/33/text/ ] of the largest, hottest, most massive stars known. These stars, known as the star cluster R136 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010730.html ], and part of the surrounding nebula are captured here in this gorgeous visible-light image [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/1999/33/image/d ] from the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010806.html ]. Gas and dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ] clouds in 30 Doradus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?30+Doradus ], also known as the Tarantula [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula ] Nebula, have been sculpted into elongated shapes by powerful winds [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wsolwind.html ] and ultraviolet radiation [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/uv.html ] from these hot cluster stars. The 30 Doradus Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030823.html ] lies within a neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040902.html ], located a mere 170,000 light-years [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html ] away. |
|
Massive Stars Of 30 Doradus
| Title |
Massive Stars Of 30 Doradus |
| Explanation |
This gorgeous visible-light Hubble Space Telescope image [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/33/pr-photos.html ] shows a young [ http://www.nasa.gov/kids.html ] cluster of massive stars at the center of the 30 Doradus Nebula [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/n2070.html ]. Gas and dust clouds in 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970604.html ], have been sculpted into elongated shapes by powerful winds and ultraviolet radiation from these hot cluster stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990221.html ]. Insets in the picture represent corresponding views from the Hubble's infrared camera [ http://www.stsci.edu/instruments/nicmos/topnicmos.html ] where each square measures 15.5 light-years across. Penetrating the obscuring dust, these infrared images themselves offer detailed pictures of star formation within [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/95/44.html ] the nebula's collapsing clouds, revealing the presence of newborn massive stars. The 30 Doradus Nebula lies within a neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980124.html ], located a mere 170,000 light-years away. |
|
N44C nebula
| Title |
N44C nebula |
| Description |
Resembling the hair in Botticelli's famous portrait of the birth of Venus, an image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured softly glowing filaments streaming from hot young stars in a nearby nebula. The image, presented by the Hubble Heritage Project, was taken in 1996 by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, designed and built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The image is available online at http://heritage.stsci.edu , http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2002/12 orhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/wfpc . On the top right of the image is a source of its artistic likeness, a network of nebulous filaments surrounding the Wolf-Rayet star. This type of rare star is characterized by an exceptionally vigorous "wind" of charged particles. The shock of the wind colliding with the surrounding gas causes the gas to glow. The Wolf-Rayet star is part of N44C, a nebula of glowing hydrogen gas surrounding young stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Visible from the Southern Hemisphere, the Large Magellanic Cloud is a small companion galaxy to the Milky Way. What makes N44C peculiar is the temperature of the star that illuminates it. The most massive stars -- those that are 10 to 50 times more massive than the Sun -- have maximum temperatures of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees Celsius (54,000 to 90,000 degrees Fahrenheit). The temperature of this star is about 75,000 degrees Celsius (135,000 degrees Fahrenheit). This unusually high temperature may be due to a neutron star or black hole that occasionally produces X-rays but is now inactive. N44C is part of a larger complex that includes young, hot, massive stars, nebulae, and a "superbubble" blown out by multiple supernova explosions. Part of the superbubble is seen in red at the very bottom left of the Hubble image. 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 cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. |
| Date |
12.03.1999 |
|
Doradus Nebula
| Title |
Doradus Nebula |
| Description |
A panoramic view of a vast, sculpted area of gas and dust where thousands of stars are being born has been captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The image, taken by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, is online at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/21 and http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/wfpc . The camera was designed and built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The photo offers an unprecedented, detailed view of the entire inner region of the fertile, star-forming 30 Doradus Nebula. The mosaic picture shows that ultraviolet radiation and high-speed material unleashed by the stars in the cluster, called R136 (the large blue blob left of center), are weaving a tapestry of creation and destruction, triggering the collapse of looming gas and dust clouds and forming pillar-like structures that incubate newborn stars. The 30 Doradus Nebula is in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way located 170,000 light-years from Earth. Nebulas like 30 Doradus are signposts of recent star birth. High-energy ultraviolet radiation from young, hot, massive stars in R136 causes surrounding gaseous material to glow. Previous Hubble telescope observations showed that R136 contains several dozen of the most massive stars known, each about 100 times the mass of the Sun and about 10 times as hot. These stellar behemoths formed about 2 million years ago. The stars in R136 produce intense "stellar winds," streams of material traveling at several million miles an hour. These winds push the gas away from the cluster and compress the inner regions of the surrounding gas and dust clouds (seen in the image as the pinkish material). The intense pressure triggers the collapse of parts of the clouds, producing a new star formation around the central cluster. Most stars in the nursery are not visible because they are still encased in cocoons of gas and dust. This mosaic image of 30 Doradus consists of five overlapping pictures taken between January 1994 and September 2000 by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. Several color filters enhance important details in the stars and the nebula. Blue corresponds to the hot stars. The greenish color denotes hot gas energized by the central cluster of stars. Pink depicts the glowing edges of the gas and dust clouds facing the cluster, which are being bombarded by winds and radiation. Reddish-brown represents the cooler surfaces of the clouds, which are not receiving direct radiation from the central cluster. Additional information about the Hubble Space Telescope is at http://www.stsci.edu . More information about the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 is at http://wfpc2.jpl.nasa.gov . The Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md., manages space operations for Hubble for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The 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 cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
| Date |
12.01.1999 |
|
Galaxy NGC 1850
| Title |
Galaxy NGC 1850 |
| Description |
By spying on a neighboring galaxy, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of a young, globular-like star cluster -- a type of object unknown in our Milky Way Galaxy. The image, taken by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, is online at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/25 and http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/wfpc. The camera was designed and built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The double cluster NGC 1850 lies in a neighboring satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. It has two relatively young components. The main, globular-like cluster is in the center. A smaller cluster is seen below and to the right, composed of extremely hot, blue stars and fainter red T-Tauri stars. The main cluster is about 50 million years old, the smaller one is 4 million years old. A filigree pattern of diffuse gas surrounds NGC 1850. Scientists believe the pattern formed millions of years ago when massive stars in the main cluster exploded as supernovas. Hubble can observe a range of star types in NGC 1850, including the faint, low-mass T-Tauri stars, which are difficult to distinguish with ground-based telescopes. Hubble's fine angular resolution can pick out these stars, even in other galaxies. Massive stars of the OB type emit large amounts of energetic ultraviolet radiation, which is absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere. From Hubble's position above the atmosphere, it can detect this ultraviolet light. NGC 1850, the brightest star cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud, is in the southern constellation of Dorado, called the Goldfish or the Swordfish. This image was created from five archival exposures taken by the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 between April 3, 1994 and February 6, 1996. More information about the Hubble Space Telescope is online at http://www.stsci.edu. More information about the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 is at http://wfpc2.jpl.nasa.gov. The Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md., manages space operations for Hubble for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The 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 cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
| Date |
12.03.1999 |
|
Ghost Head Nebula
| Title |
Ghost Head Nebula |
| Description |
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. |
| Date |
12.03.1999 |
|
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