|
Credit & Copyright: NASA,
ESA,
and the Hubble Heritage
Team (STScI /
AURA) -
ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Explanation:
Near the outskirts of the
Small Magellanic Cloud,
a satellite galaxy some 200 thousand light-years distant,
lies 5 million year
young
star cluster NGC 602.
Surrounded by natal gas and dust, NGC 602 is featured in this
stunning Hubble image of the region.
Fantastic ridges and swept
back shapes strongly suggest that
energetic radiation and shock waves from NGC 602's massive
young stars have eroded the dusty material and triggered a
progression
of star formation moving away from the cluster's center.
At the estimated distance of the Small Magellanic Cloud, the
picture spans about 200 light-years, but
a tantalizing assortment of
background galaxies are also visible in the
sharp Hubble view.
The background galaxies are hundreds of millions of
light-years or more beyond NGC 602.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: star cluster - star formation
Publications with words: star cluster - star formation
See also:
- NGC 1893 and the Tadpoles of IC 410
- APOD: 2024 January 15 Á Star Cluster IC 348 from Webb
- APOD: 2023 December 10 Á Big Dipper over Pyramid Mountain
- Star Factory Messier 17
- APOD: 2023 August 28 Á Star Formation in the Pacman Nebula
- APOD: 2023 July 10 Á Stars, Dust and Nebula in NGC 6559
- NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus