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Credit: Steve Mandel,
Galaxy Images
Explanation:
Looking toward the constellation
Cygnus,
a stunning and complex region of nebulae strewn along
the plane of our
Milky Way
galaxy is revealed in this unique
wide-angle sky view.
Recorded with a filter designed to transmit
light emitted by hydrogen atoms,
the image emphasizes
cosmic gas clouds in a 34 by 23 degree field centered
on the well known Northern Cross asterism.
Bright, hot, supergiant
star
Deneb (the top of the cross)
and popular
celestial sights such as the North
America and Pelican
emission regions, the IC 1318
"butterfly",
and the Crescent
and Veil nebulae
can be identified by placing your cursor over the image.
Silhouetted by the glowing
interstellar
clouds and crowded star
fields, the dark Northern Coal Sack is also visible, part
of a series of obscuring dust clouds forming the Great Rift
in
the Milky Way.
These Cygnus nebulosities are all located about 2,000 light-years
away.
Along with the Sun, they lie within the
Orion
spiral arm of our galaxy.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Cygnus - emission nebula - dark nebula - H-alpha
Publications with words: Cygnus - emission nebula - dark nebula - H-alpha
See also: