In celebration of the 24th anniversary of the launch of NASAs Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have captured infrared-light images of a churning region of star birth 6,400 light-years away. The images reveals a shadowy, dense knot of gas and dust sharply contrasted against a backdrop of brilliant glowing gas in the Monkey Head Nebula (also known as NGC 2174 and Sharpless Sh2-252). The image demonstrates Hubbles powerful infrared vision and offers a tantalizing hint of what scientists can expect from the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Observations of NGC 2174 were taken in February, 2014. Massive newborn stars near the center of the nebula (and toward the right in this image) are blasting away at dust within the nebula. The ultraviolet light emitted by these bright stars helps shape the dust into giant pillars. This carving action occurs because the nebula is mostly composed of hydrogen gas, which becomes ionized by the ultraviolet radiation. As the dust particles are warmed by the ultraviolet light of the stars, they heat up and begin to glow at infrared wavelengths. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., in Washington. - courtesy of NASA and Space Science Telescope Institute. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA). Larger image, 2.49 MB: nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/1600x1200_autoletterbox/public/heic1406a.jpg
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 14:55:08 +0000
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