IRAS 05437 2502: An Enigmatic Star Cloud from Hubble
Explanation:
What's lighting up nebula IRAS 05437+2502?
No one is sure.
Particularly enigmatic is the bright upside-down V that defines the upper edge of
this floating mountain of
interstellar dust, visible near the image center.
In general, this
ghost-like nebula
involves a small star forming region filled with
dark dust that was first noted in images taken by the
IRAS satellite in
infrared light
in 1983.
Shown above is a spectacular, recently released image from the
Hubble Space Telescope that, although showing many new details, has not uncovered
a clear cause of the
bright sharp arc.
One hypothesis holds that the
glowing arc was created by a
massive star that somehow attained a
high velocity and has now left the nebula.
Small, faint
IRAS 05437+2502 spans only 1/18th of a full moon toward the
constellation of the Bull
(
Taurus).
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.
