Magnetic Orion
Explanation:
Can magnetism affect how stars form?
Recent analysis of Orion data from
the
HAWC+ instrument on the airborne
SOFIA observatory
indicate that, at times, it can.
HAWC+ is able to measure the
polarization of far-infrared light which can reveal the alignment of
dust grains by expansive ambient
magnetic fields.
In the
featured
image,
these magnetic fields are shown as curvy lines superposed on an
infrared image of the
Orion Nebula taken by a
Very Large
Telescope in
Chile.
Orion's
Kleinmann-Low Nebula is visible slightly to the upper
right of the image center, while bright stars of the
Trapezium cluster
are visible just to the lower left of center.
The
Orion Nebula at about l300
light years distant is the nearest major
star
formation region to the
Sun.
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.
