移除恒星的老鹰星云

2022年10月4日

Star-Forming Eagle Nebula without Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Yannick Akar

Explanation: The whole thing looks like an eagle. A closer look at the Eagle Nebula’s center, however, shows the bright region is actually a window into the center of a larger dark shell of dust. Through this window, a brightly-lit workshop appears where a whole open cluster of stars is being formed. In this cavity tall pillars and round globules of dark dust and cold molecular gas remain where stars are still forming. Paradoxically, it is perhaps easier to appreciate this impressive factory of star formation by seeing it without its stars — which have been digitally removed in the featured image. The Eagle emission nebula, tagged M16, lies about 6500 light years away, spans about 20 light-years, and is visible with binoculars toward the constellation of the Serpent (Serpens). Creating this picture involved over 22 hours of imaging and combining colors emitted specifically by hydrogen (red), and oxygen (blue).

Tomorrow’s picture: space dart debris

移除恒星的鹰状星云
影像提供与版权: Yannick Akar

说明: 它的整体外观像一只老鹰。然而，如再细看鹰状星云即可发现其内的亮区，实际上是一扇通往大型黝黑尘埃壳中心的窗口。透过这扇窗户，一座灯火通明的恒星工厂历历在目，而且一整个疏散星团正形成于其中。在这个洞穴里，高耸的云柱及浑圆的尘埃及低温分子气体云球，仍环拱在正形成的恒星之周围。矛盾的是，如果没有恒星的干扰，或许更能领会这座令人印象深刻的恒星形成工厂，因此这幅主题影像里的恒星，已用数字技术加以移除。约6500光年远、宽约20光年、编录号为M16的鹰状星云，是一个用双筒望远镜即可在北天巨蛇座方向见到的发射星云。制作这幅影像共使用了超过22小时的时间曝光成像，并整合了氢（红）和氧（蓝）发出的特征辐射。

明日的图片: space dart debris