Astronomy Picture of the Day
Posted By admin On March 3, 2011 @ 11:05 pm In Photo Essays | Comments Disabled
[1]
NGC 6914 Nebulae
Credit: Descubre Foundation [2], CAHA [3], OAUV [4], DSA [5], Vicent Peris (OAUV [4]), Jack Harvey (SSRO [6]), Juan Conejero (PixInsight [7])
Explanation: A dramatic study in contrasts, this colorful skyscape [7] features stars, dust, and glowing gas in NGC 6914. The complex of nebulae lies some 6,000 light-years away, toward the high-flying northern constellation Cygnus and the plane [8] of our Milky Way Galaxy. With foreground dust clouds in silhouette, both reddish hydrogen emission nebulae [9] and dusty blue reflection nebulae [10] fill the 1/2 degree wide field of view that spans nearly 50 light-years at the esitmated distance of NGC 6914. Ultraviolet radiation from the massive, hot, young stars of the extensive [11] Cygnus OB2 [12] association ionize the region’s atomic hydrogen gas [13], producing the characteristic red glow as protons and electrons recombine. Embedded Cygnus OB2 stars also provide the blue starlight strongly reflected by the dusty clouds. Constructed as a two-panel mosaic, the image was processed to bring out [14] both bright and dim colors and detailed structures.
Visit the NASA/JPL website to view more Astronomy Pictures of the Day [15]
Article printed from Recorder Online: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com
URL to article: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/2011/03/03/astronomy-picture-of-the-day-24/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/NGC6914_peris21001.jpg
[2] Descubre Foundation: http://www.cienciadirecta.com/
[3] CAHA: http://www.caha.es/
[4] OAUV: http://observatori.uv.es/
[5] DSA: http://www.astro-photographer.org/
[6] SSRO: http://www.starshadows.com/
[7] PixInsight: http://pixinsight.com/gallery/NGC6914-CAHA/en.html
[8] Cygnus and the plane: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070920.html
[9] emission nebulae: http://fusedweb.pppl.gov/cpep/chart_pages/5.plasmas/nebula/emission.html
[10] reflection nebulae: http://fusedweb.pppl.gov/cpep/chart_pages/5.plasmas/nebula/reflection.html
[11] extensive: http://arxiv.org/abs/1003.2463
[12] Cygnus OB2: http://stardate.org/radio/program/2009-08-26
[13] hydrogen gas: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap051223.html
[14] processed to bring out: http://pixinsight.com/examples/NGC6914-CAHA/en.html
[15] Astronomy Pictures of the Day: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/
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