Central Lagoon in Infrared
Explanation:
Stars fill this infrared view, spanning 4 light-years across the center
of the Lagoon Nebula.
Visible light images
show the glowing gas and obscuring dust clouds that
dominate the scene.
But
this infrared image,
constructed from
Hubble Space Telescope
data,
peers closer to the heart of the active star-forming region revealing
newborn stars scattered within,
against a crowded field of background stars
toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
This
tumultuous stellar nursery's
central regions are sculpted and
energized by the massive, young Herschel 36, seen as the bright star
near center in the field of view.
Herschel 36
is actually a multiple system of massive stars.
At over 30 times the mass of the Sun and less than 1 million years old,
the most massive star in the system
should live to a stellar old age of 5 million years.
Compare that to the almost 5
billion
year old Sun which will evolve into a red giant
in only another 5 billion years or so.
The Lagoon Nebula,
also known as M8, lies about 4,000 light-years
away within the boundaries of the constellation Sagittarius.
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.
