NGC 281: Starless with Stars
Explanation:
In visible light the stars have been removed from this narrow-band image
of NGC 281,
a star forming region some 10,000 light-years away toward
the constellation Cassiopeia.
Stars were digitally added back to the resulting
starless image though.
But instead of using visible light image data, the stars were added with
X-ray data
(in purple) from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and
infrared
data
(in red) from the Spitzer Space Telescope.
The merged
multiwavelength
view reveals a multitude of
stars in the region's embedded star cluster
IC 1590.
The young stars are normally hidden in visible light images by
the natal cloud's gas and obscuring dust.
Also known to backyard astro-imagers as the
Pacman
Nebula for its overall appearance in visible light,
NGC 281 is about 80 light-years across.
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.
