N159 and the Papillon Nebula
Explanation:
In a search for
massive stars, the
Hubble Space Telescope
has peered into yet another spectacular region of
star formation.
This nebula, known as
N159,
spans over 150 light-years
and is located in the neighboring
Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy,
about 170,000
light years distant.
Visible in the
above picture are bright
newborn stars, dark
filaments of
dust, and red-glowing
hydrogen gas.
The aptly named
Papillon Nebula (French for butterfly),
is the unusual central compact cloud,
highlighted in the inset.
Reasons for the
bipolar shape
of the Papillon Nebula are currently unknown,
but might indicate the presence of unseen
high-mass stars and a thick
gaseous disk.
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.
