Peering into a disrupted stellar nursery.In this new infrared portrait of a nearby star-forming region, fierce winds and harsh ultraviolet light from massive stars have shredded a dusty cocoon, exposing baby stars, each at the tip of one of the cocoon's remnants. Arrow points to one such star. The infrared sensitivity of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope Spitzer Space Telescope: see infrared astronomy; observatory, orbiting. enabled it to peer through the dust, which lies in the Eta Carina Carina (kərē`nə) [Lat.,=the keel], southern constellation, representing the keel of the ancient constellation Argo Navis, or Ship of the Argonauts. Carina contains Canopus, the second brightest star in the sky. nebula 10,000 light-years from Earth. The most massive stars in the nebula lie above the frame of the image. By disrupting the stellar nursery, these massive bullies prevent the newborns from packing on more material. NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. released the false-color image last week at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes pronounced "double-A-S") is a US society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. in Minneapolis. |
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