Telescopes and Detectors
Telescopes and the Discovery of the Universe
[<] - TOC - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - Links - [>]
[<] - 7a - 7b - 7c - 7d - 7e - 7f - 7g - 7h - [>]

NGC1566

New stars forming inside clouds of dust and gas

This infrared image shows a nebula in the Orion cloud, 1,500 light years from Earth. It was taken by the Subaru telescope in 2.12 micron light which is emitted when molecular hydrogen gas is heated to 2000° K.

Forming at the centre of the at the centre of the butterfly-like structure is IRc2, a star 30 times more massive than the Sun. It does not show in this light.

A strong wind is blowing from IRC2 at more than 100 kilometers per second. It is sweeping gas from the butterfly-like cavity and allowing infrared light to escape.

The radiating finger-like features are produced when the wind collides with surrounding cold hydrogen gas, heating it to 2000° K and causing it to emit light.

Two separate images were combined to produce this image, and the black and white dots are artifacts of that process.