Seven Dusty Sisters
Explanation:
Is this really the famous Pleaides star cluster?
Known for its
iconic blue stars, the
Pleaides is shown here in
infrared light
where the surrounding dust outshines the stars.
Here three infrared colors have been mapped into visual colors (R=24, G=12, B=4.6
microns).
The base images were taken by NASA's orbiting
Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft.
Cataloged as
M45 and nicknamed the
Seven Sisters,
the Pleiades
star cluster is by chance situated in a
passing dust cloud.
The light and winds from the massive Pleiades stars preferentially repels smaller
dust particles,
causing the dust to become stratified into
filaments, as seen.
The featured image spans about 20
light years at the distance of
the Pleiades,
which lies about 450 light years distant toward the constellation of the Bull
(Taurus).
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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.
