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Credit & Copyright: Daniel López,
IAC
Explanation:
Like delicate cosmic petals, these clouds of interstellar dust and gas
have blossomed 1,300 light-years away in the fertile
star fields of the constellation Cepheus.
Sometimes called the Iris Nebula and dutifully
cataloged as
NGC 7023,
this is not the only nebula in the
sky to evoke the imagery of flowers.
Still, this
beautiful
digital image shows off the Iris Nebula's range of
colors and symmetries in impressive detail.
Within the Iris, dusty nebular material surrounds a hot,
young star.
The dominant color of the brighter reflection nebula is blue,
characteristic
of dust grains reflecting starlight.
Central
filaments of the dusty clouds glow with a faint reddish
photoluminesence as some dust grains
effectively
convert the star's invisible
ultraviolet
radiation to visible red light.
Infrared observations
indicate that this nebula may contain
complex carbon molecules known as
PAHs.
As shown here, the bright blue portion of the Iris Nebula is about six
light-years across.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: NGC 7023 - reflection nebula - young stars
Publications with words: NGC 7023 - reflection nebula - young stars
See also: