In the Center of the Lagoon Nebula
Explanation:
The center of the Lagoon Nebula is busy with the
awesome spectacle of star formation.
Visible in the lower left, at least two long funnel-shaped clouds,
each roughly half a
light-year long, have been formed by extreme
stellar winds
and intense energetic starlight.
The tremendously bright nearby star,
Hershel 36, lights the area.
Vast walls of
dust
hide and
redden other hot young stars.
As energy from these stars pours into the
cool dust and gas,
large temperature differences in adjoining regions
can be created generating
shearing winds which may cause the funnels.
This picture, spanning about 5 light years, was taken in 1995 by the
orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.
The
Lagoon Nebula, also known as
M8, lies about 5000
light years distant toward the
constellation of
Sagittarius.
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.
