2026年2月18日
Orion’s Cradle
Image Credit & Copyright: Piotr Czerski
Explanation: Cradled in red-glowing hydrogen gas, stars are being born in Orion. These stellar nurseries lie at the edge of the giant Orion molecular cloud complex, some 1,500 light-years away. This detailed view spans about 12 degrees across the center of the well-known constellation, with the Great Orion Nebula, the closest large star-forming region, visible toward the lower right. The deep mosaic also includes, near the top center, the Flame Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula. Image data acquired with a hydrogen-alpha filter adds other remarkable features to this wide-angle cosmic vista: pervasive tendrils of energized atomic hydrogen gas and portions of the surrounding Barnard’s Loop. While the Orion Nebula and many stars in Orion are easy to see with the unaided eye, emission from the extensive interstellar gas is faint and much harder to record, even in telescopic views of the nebula-rich complex.
Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after 1995)
Tomorrow’s picture: open space
猎户座的摇篮
影像提供与版权: Piotr Czerski
说明: 在散发着红色光芒的氢气怀抱中，年轻的恒星正在猎户座诞生。这些恒星摇篮位于庞大的猎户座分子云复合体边缘，距离我们约1,500光年。这张细节丰富的影像横跨这个著名星座的中部约12度的范围，在右下方可见猎户座大星云，它是距离我们最近的大型恒星形成区。这幅深度拼接影像在靠近上方中央处还涵盖了火焰星云（Flame Nebula）与马头星云（Horsehead Nebula）。使用氢-α滤镜取得的影像资料，为这幅广角宇宙全景增添了其他引人注目的细节：弥漫于场景中的受激氢原子气体触须，以及周围巴纳德环（Barnard’s Loop）的部分结构。虽然猎户座星云（Orion Nebula）与许多猎户座中的恒星肉眼即可轻易看见，但来自广阔星际气体的发射极为微弱，即使在望远镜下也很难以捕捉这个星云密集区的幽暗辉光。
天空惊喜: 你生日那天（1995年之后）的每日天文图（APOD）是什么？
明日的图片: open space
