Henize 206: Cosmic Generations
Explanation:
Peering into a dusty nebula in
nearby
galaxy the
Large Magellanic Cloud, infrared cameras on board the
Spitzer Space Telescope recorded
this detailed view of stellar
nursery Henize 206 filled with newborn stars.
The stars appear as white spots within the swirls of dust and gas
in the false-color
infrared
image.
Near the top, the sweeping telltale arcs of a
supernova remnant
are also visible, expanding debris from the final explosion of
a
massive star.
The proximity of the ancient supernova indicates that the shockwave from
that stellar death explosion itself likely
triggered the
formation of the new generation of emerging stars, compressing
the gas and dust within Henize 206 and continuing the
cosmic cycle
of star death and star birth.
At the distance of the
Large
Magellanic Cloud, about 163,000
light-years this image covers an area about 1,000 light-years across.
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.
