2025年4月28日
Gum 37 and the Southern Tadpoles
Image Credit & Copyright: Francis Bozon & Cecil Navick (AstroA. R. O.)
Explanation: This cosmic skyscape features glowing gas and dark dust clouds alongside the young stars of NGC 3572. A beautiful emission nebula and star cluster, it sails far southern skies within the nautical constellation Carina. Stars from NGC 3572 are toward top center in the telescopic frame that would measure about 100 light-years across at the cluster’s estimated distance of 9,000 light-years. The visible interstellar gas and dust, shown in colors of the Hubble palette, is part of the star cluster’s natal molecular cloud, itself cataloged as Gum 37. Dense streamers of material within the nebula, eroded by stellar winds and radiation, clearly trail away from the energetic young stars. They are likely sites of ongoing star formation with shapes reminiscent of the Tadpoles of IC 410 — better known to northern skygazers. In the coming tens to hundreds of millions of years, gas and stars in the cluster will be dispersed though, by gravitational tides and by violent supernova explosions that end the short lives of the massive cluster stars.
Tomorrow’s picture: disappearing rings
Gum 37与南天的蝌蚪云
影像提供与版权: Francis Bozon & Cecil Navick (AstroA. R. O.)
说明: 这幅星空影像的主题，是星团NGC 3572的年轻恒星及其周围的明亮云气和黝黑尘埃。而这些美丽的发射星云与星团，则位于近南极天空的船底座方向。在这片望远镜视野中上方的NGC 3572群星，依此星团约9,000光年的距离来换算，跨幅约有100光年。视野里，以哈勃色表 上色的星际云气和尘埃，是孕育这个星团的母分子云（Gum 37）的一部分。星云内受到年轻恒星的恒星风与辐射雕蚀而成的致密条状物质，很明显的指离活跃的年轻恒星。而这些会让北天观星者联想到IC 410的蝌蚪云之长条状云气，本身可能是恒星正在形成之所在。于接下来的数千万到数亿年之中，在重力潮汐及星团短命大质量成员星发生超新星爆炸的扰动下，此星团的气体与恒星终将分道扬镳。
明日的图片: disappearing rings
