|
Credit & Copyright: Sander de Jong
Explanation:
This
cosmic view
shows off an otherwise faint emission nebula IC 410,
captured under clear Netherlands skies
with telescope and narrowband filters.
Above and right of center you can spot
two remarkable inhabitants of the interstellar pond of gas
and dust, known as the tadpoles of IC 410.
Partly obscured by foreground dust, the nebula itself
surrounds NGC 1893, a young
galactic cluster of stars.
Formed in the interstellar cloud a mere 4 million years ago, the
intensely hot, bright
cluster stars energize the glowing gas.
Globules composed of denser cooler gas and dust,
the tadpoles are around 10 light-years long and are
likely sites of ongoing
star formation.
Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation their heads are outlined by
bright
ridges of ionized gas
while their tails trail away from the cluster's central young stars.
IC 410 and embedded NGC 1893
lie some 10,000 light-years away,
toward the nebula-rich constellation Auriga.
|
January February March April May June July |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 - star formation
Publications with words: emission nebula - star formation
See also: