2025年6月25日
Rubin’s First Look: A Sagittarius Skyscape
Image Credit & License: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory
Explanation: This interstellar skyscape spans over 4 degrees across crowded starfields toward the constellation Sagittarius and the central Milky Way. A First Look image captured at the new NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the bright nebulae and star clusters featured include famous stops on telescopic tours of the cosmos: Messier 8 and Messier 20. An expansive star-forming region over a hundred light-years across, Messier 8 is also known as the Lagoon Nebula. About 4,000 light-years away the Lagoon Nebula harbors a remarkable cluster of young, massive stars. Their intense radiation and stellar winds energize and agitate this cosmic lagoon’s turbulent depths. Messier 20’s popular moniker is the Trifid. Divided into three parts by dark interstellar dust lanes, the Trifid Nebula’s glowing hydrogen gas creates its dominant red color. But contrasting blue hues in the colorful Trifid are due to dust reflected starlight. The Rubin Observatory visited the Trifid-Lagoon field to acquire all the image data during parts of four nights (May 1-4). At full resolution, Rubin’s magnificent Sagittarius skyscape is 84,000 pixels wide and 51,500 pixels tall.
Tomorrow’s picture: pixels in space
鲁宾天文台的首张影像: 人马座的天空
影像提供与授权: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory
说明: 这片宽超过4度的拥挤星场，位于人马座及银河中心的方向。在这幅由刚上线的鲁宾天文台拍摄的首张影像里，所呈现的明亮星云和星团包括望远镜巡天的热门标的：M8及M20。其中，距离约4,000光年、亦名为礁湖星云的M8，是宽度超过100光年的庞大恒星形成区，其内更有个由大质量年轻恒星聚集而成的星团。它们发出的强烈辐射和恒星风，驱动礁湖星云发光，并激荡出星云内的复杂气体与尘埃结构。至于受到黝黑星际尘埃带分割，而有三叶星云昵称的M20，其内的明亮氢气发出的红光，为它渲染出泛红的主色。而其内具有高度对比性的蓝色区，则是尘埃反射星光的产物。鲁宾天文台用了部分的4个晚上（五月1日~4日），造访三叶-礁湖星场，以取得组成这幅影像所需的数据。鲁宾天文台壮丽的人马座天空影像之完整解析版本，宽度和高度各为84,000像素及51,500像素。
明日的图片: pixels in space
