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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) – An image of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has shown Cat Nebula's Paw, so named for the large round features that create the impression of a feline print. , according to a statement from NASA JPL's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Wednesday.
The nebula is a star-forming region in the galaxy of the Milky Way, located in the constellation Scorpio, with an estimated distance between Earth and Earth of between about 4,200 and 5,500 light-years, said JPL.
The image was created using data from two of Spitzer's instruments.
Once the gases and dust inside the nebula have collapsed to form stars, they can in turn heat the pressurized gas around them, causing it to expand into the atmosphere. space and the creation of bubbles.
According to the JPL, the Cat's Paw star formation region would be between 24 and 27 parsecs, about 80 and 90 light-years away.
Spitzer is an infrared telescope, and infrared light is useful for astronomers because it can better penetrate thick clouds of gas and dust than optical light, JPL said.
The black filaments that cross the nebula horizontally are areas of gas and dust so dense that even infrared light can not pass through them. According to JPL, these dense regions could soon become training sites of another generation of stars.
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