|
Credit & Copyright: Anglo-Australian Observatory, Photograph by
David Malin
Explanation:
The nebula surrounding bright star S Mon
is filled with dark dust and glowing gas.
The strange shapes
that surrounding this star originate from fine interstellar
dust reacting in
complex ways with the energetic light and
hot gas being expelled by the young stars.
The region just below
S Mon, the bright star in the
above picture, is nicknamed the
Fox Fur Nebula for its color and texture.
The blue glow directly surrounding S Mon results from
reflection,
where neighboring dust reflects light from the bright star.
The more diffuse red glow results from
emission,
where starlight ionizes
hydrogen gas.
Pink areas are lit by a combination of the two processes.
S Mon is part of a young
open cluster of stars named
NGC 2264, located about 2500
light years away toward the constellation of
Monoceros, just
north of the
Cone Nebula.
|
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: emission nebula - reflection nebula - NGC 2264
Publications with words: emission nebula - reflection nebula - NGC 2264
See also:
- APOD: 2024 April 24 Á Dragons Egg Bipolar Emission Nebula
- APOD: 2024 March 13 Á The Seagull Nebula
- APOD: 2024 February 21 Á Seagull Nebula over Pinnacles Peak
- NGC 1893 and the Tadpoles of IC 410
- The Light, the Dark, and the Dusty
- APOD: 2023 December 13 Á Deep Field: The Heart Nebula
- APOD: 2023 October 30 Á Reflections of the Ghost Nebula