Antares and Rho Ophiuchi
Explanation:
Why is the sky near
Antares and Rho Ophiuchi so colorful?
The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes.
Fine dust illuminated from the front by starlight produces blue
reflection nebulae.
Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by ultraviolet starlight produce
reddish
emission nebulae.
Backlit
dust clouds block starlight and so
appear dark.
Antares, a
red supergiant and one of the
brighter stars in the night sky,
lights up the yellow-red clouds on the upper left.
Rho Ophiuchi
lies at the center of the blue nebula on the right. The distant
globular cluster M4 is visible just below
Antares,
and to the left of the red cloud engulfing
Sigma Scorpii.
These star clouds are even more colorful than humans can see,
emitting light across the
electromagnetic spectrum.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
