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Credit & Copyright: ESO, HAWK-1 Instrument Team
Explanation:
Stars are forming in a dense
molecular cloud a mere 1,000 light-years
away in the constellation
Serpens Cauda
(The Serpent's Tail).
At that estimated distance, this sharp, near-infrared close-up of the
active Serpens star-forming region spans about 2
arcminutes
or just over half a light-year.
Though such
near-infrared
observations can be made by mountain-top
telescopes with specialized detectors, near-infrared
light has too long a wavelength to be visible to the eye.
This view was recorded with a sensitive camera,
HAWK-I
(High Acuity, Wide field K-band Imaging), just commissioned at the
Paranal Observatory in Chile.
Intended
to illustrate HAWK-I's impressive capabilities,
the tantalizing image highlights reddish young stars
and protostars, likely up to a few million years old,
emerging from the
nebular gas and dust.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
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: star formation
Publications with words: star formation
See also:
- NGC 1893 and the Tadpoles of IC 410
- Star Factory Messier 17
- APOD: 2023 August 28 Á Star Formation in the Pacman Nebula
- APOD: 2023 July 10 Á Stars, Dust and Nebula in NGC 6559
- NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus
- APOD: 2023 March 21 Á Dark Nebulae and Star Formation in Taurus
- The Tadpole Nebula in Gas and Dust