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In this
celestial mosaic taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, there are many
to see, including several groups of stars born from the same dense clumps
gas and dust. Some of these groups are older than others and more evolved, making
it's a generational stellar portrait.
the
the large green and orange delta filling most of the image is a distant nebula, or
a cloud of gas and dust in the space. Although the cloud may seem to flow from the
bright white spot at its end, it's actually what's left of a much bigger
cloud that has been cut by the radiation of the stars. The bright region is illuminated
by massive stars, belonging to a group that extends above the white spot. the
the white color is the combination of four colors (blue, green, orange and red),
each representing a different wavelength of infrared light, which is invisible
in the eyes of the man. The dust that has been heated by the radiation of the stars creates the
surrounding red glow.
Annotated mosaic made by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in the Cepheus C and Cepheus B regions. This image combines data from the IRAC and MIPS Spitzer instruments.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
Complete picture and legend
Sure
on the left side of this image, a dark filament passes horizontally across the
green cloud. Some baby stars (red and yellow dots) appear on the inside
he. Known as Cepheus C, the area is a particularly dense concentration of gas
and the dust where the young stars are formed. The dark vein of the material will eventually disperse
by the strong winds produced as the stars get older, as well as when they
finally explode and die. This will create an illuminated inflated area that
will look like the red and white region on the upper right corner of the big nebula
side. The area is called Cepheus C because it is in the constellation
Cepheus, which is near the constellation Cassiopeia. Cephé C is
about 6 light-years away and about 40 light-years away from the bright spot of
the tip of the nebula.
A
the second big nebula is visible to the right of the image, with a star
cluster located just above. Known as Cepheus B, the cluster is located in a
a few thousand light years from our sun A study of
This region using Spitzer's data revealed that the dramatic collection is
about 4 million to 5 million years – slightly older than those of Cepheus C.
In
In this way, the mosaic is a true family portrait, featuring infants, parents
and grandparents of the regions that form stars: stars form in dense clouds of
material, like the dark vein that composes Cepheus C. As the stars grow, they
produce winds that push gas and dust outward to form
illuminated nebulae like the bright white spot on top of the largest nebula.
Finally, dust and gases disperse and star clusters are the only ones in space.
as with Cepheus B.
Other curiosities to see
the
the amazing features of this image do not stop there.
look
tightly for the little red hourglass shape just below Cepheus C. This is V374
Ceph. Astronomers who study this massive star speculated on the fact
surrounded by a disc of dark and dusty matter, almost peripheral. Dark cones
extending right and left of the star are a shadow of this disc.
The smallest
The nebula on the right side of the image includes two particularly interesting elements.
objects. In the upper left of the nebula, try to find a blue star
crowned by a small arc of red light. This "fleeing star" is plowing
through gas and dust to a fast clip, creating a shockwave, or "arc
shock, "in front of himself.
Also
hidden in this second nebula, a small group of newborn stars illuminates
the dense cloud of gas and dust where they formed. This region is more obvious
in the image below, which uses the data of only one of Spitzer's instruments.
(The top image contains data from two instruments.) In the image below, this
feature appears as a brilliant teal splash.
Drag and drop the marker compare an annotated and unannoted image of the Cepheus B and Cepheus C regions with the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope, using data from the RAIC instrument.
Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.
Complete picture and legend
More on the images
the
The image of two instruments was compiled using infrared camera data
(IRAC) and the Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) during Spitzer's "cold" period
mission, before the space shuttle helium coolant was exhausted in 2009.
the colors correspond to IRAC wavelengths of 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns
(cyan), 8 microns (green) and MIPS at 24 microns (red).
The only instrument
The image shows the RAIC data only, with colors corresponding to the wavelengths of the
3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0 μm (shown in blue, green, orange and red).
In
2017 and 2016, high school students and teachers contributed to our
understanding of the star formation region of Cepheus C. Within the framework of NITARP
(NASA / IPAC Teachers' Archives Research Program), students and teachers combed
thanks to Spitzer's data to identify the presence of young stellar objects. More than
two years and with the advice of astronomer Luisa Rebull of IPAC in Caltech,
students and teachers identified more than 100 objects of this type that did not have
identified in previous studies. Educators interested in participating in
NITARP should visit the program website.
the
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages Spitzer Space
Telescope mission for the NASA Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Science
operations are conducted at Spitzer Science Center Caltech in Pasadena. Space
operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Littleton, Colorado.
The data is archived in the infrared scientific archive housed at IPAC in Caltech.
Caltech manages the JPL for NASA.
For more information on Spitzer, visit:
www.nasa.gov/spitzer and www.spitzer.caltech.edu/
Media contact
Calla Cofield
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
626-808-2469
[email protected]
2019-101
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