Fast Stars and Rogue Planets in the Orion Nebula
Explanation:
Start with the constellation of Orion.
Below Orion's belt
is a fuzzy area known as the Great Nebula of Orion.
In this nebula is a bright star cluster known as the
Trapezium,
marked by
four bright stars near the image center.
The newly born stars in the
Trapezium and
surrounding regions show the
Orion Nebula
to be one of the most active areas of star formation to be found in our area of
the Galaxy.
In Orion,
supernova explosions and close interactions between stars have created
rogue planets and stars
that rapidly move through space.
Some of these
fast stars have been found by
comparing different
images
of this region taken by the
Hubble Space
Telescope many years apart.
Many of the stars in the
featured image, taken
in visible and near-infrared light, appear
unusually
red
because they are seen through
dust that scatters away much of their blue light.
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.
