Spooky Star Forming Region DR 6
Explanation:
How could stars form such a spooky and familiar shape as a human skull?
First, the complex process of
star formation creates nebulas of many
shapes and sizes -- it is
human perception that identifies the
skull shape.
Next, the physical reasons for the large nearly
empty cavities that resemble the skull's eyes and mouth in nebula
DR 6 are the strong
stellar winds and energetic light emanating from about
ten bright young stars in the nebula's central "nose".
The length of the central nasal bridge is about 3.5
light years.
Star forming nebula DR 6 is located about 4000 light years
away toward the constellation of
Cygnus.
The
Spitzer Space Telescope took the
above
image last year in four
infrared colors.
The perhaps-perceived eeriness of nebula DR 6 commemorates
today being historically spooky
All Hallow's Day, which follows
All Hallow's Eve or "Halloween".
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.
