Star Forming Region NGC 3582
Explanation:
What's happening in the NGC 3582 nebula?
Bright stars and
interesting molecules are forming.
The
complex
nebula resides in the star forming region called RCW 57.
Visible in
this image are dense knots of
dark interstellar dust,
bright stars that have formed in the past few million years,
fields of glowing hydrogen gas
ionized by these stars, and
great loops of gas expelled by dying stars.
A
recent detailed study
of NGC 3582 uncovered at least 33 massive stars in the end stages of formation,
and the clear presence of the complex carbon molecules known as
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
PAHs are thought to be created in the cooling gas of star forming regions, and their
development in the Sun's formation nebula five billion years ago may have been an
important step in the
development of life on Earth.
This
picture was taken last year with the
Blanco 4-meter telescope at the
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
(CTIO), in
Chile.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
