老鹰星云诞生之柱的红外光影像

2021年03月07日

Pillars of the Eagle Nebula in Infrared
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing: Luis Romero

Explanation: Newborn stars are forming in the Eagle Nebula. Gravitationally contracting in pillars of dense gas and dust, the intense radiation of these newly-formed bright stars is causing surrounding material to boil away. This image, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope in near infrared light, allows the viewer to see through much of the thick dust that makes the pillars opaque in visible light. The giant structures are light years in length and dubbed informally the Pillars of Creation. Associated with the open star cluster M16, the Eagle Nebula lies about 6,500 light years away. The Eagle Nebula is an easy target for small telescopes in a nebula-rich part of the sky toward the split constellation Serpens Cauda (the tail of the snake).

Tomorrow’s picture: a comet’s red tail

老鹰星云诞生之柱的红外光影像
影像提供: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; 影像处理: Luis Romero

说明: 新恒星正形成于老鹰星云之内。这些由致密气体和尘埃聚成的云柱发生重力塌缩，新形成的明亮恒星发出强烈的辐射，正在蒸发周围的物质。这张由哈伯太空望远镜拍摄的近红外光影像，让读者得以透视这些在可见光波段不透光的浓密尘埃柱。这些昵称为创生之柱的庞大结构，长达数光年。而老鹰星云与其内的疏散星团 （M16），离地球约6,500光年远。身为巨蛇座分岔尾部众多星云之一的老鹰星云，是使用小望远镜就轻易可见的天体。

明日的图片: a comet’s red tail