Infrared Orion from WISE
Explanation:
The Great Nebula in Orion is a intriguing place.
Visible to the unaided eye, it appears as a small
fuzzy patch in the
constellation of Orion.
But
this image, an illusory-color composite of four colors of
infrared light taken with the
Earth orbiting
WISE observatory, shows the
Orion Nebula
to be a bustling neighborhood or recently formed stars,
hot gas, and dark dust.
The power behind much of the
Orion Nebula (M42) is the stars of the
Trapezium star cluster, seen
near the center of the
above wide field image.
The eerie green glow surrounding the
bright stars pictured here is their own
starlight reflected
by intricate
dust filaments that
cover much of
the region.
The current
Orion Nebula cloud complex, which
includes the
Horsehead Nebula,
will slowly disperse over the next 100,000 years.
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.
