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Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня Туманность γ Лебедя http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1838361/eng |
Credit & Copyright: Min Xie,
Chen Wu, Yizhou Zhang, and Benchu Tang
Explanation:
Supergiant star
Gamma Cygni is at the center of the Northern Cross.
Near the plane of our Milky Way galaxy, that famous
asterism flies
high in northern summer night skies in the constellation
Cygnus the Swan.
Known by the proper
name Sadr,
Gamma Cygni also lies just below center in
this telescopic skyscape,
with colors mapped from both broadband and narrowband image data.
The field of view spans about 3 degrees
(six Full Moons) on the sky and includes
emission nebula IC 1318 and open star cluster NGC 6910.
Filling the upper part of the frame and shaped like two glowing
cosmic wings divided by a long dark
dust lane, IC 1318's popular name is understandably the
Butterfly Nebula.
Right of Gamma Cygni, are the young, still tightly grouped
stars of NGC 6910.
The distance
to Gamma Cygni is around 560 parsecs or 1,800 light-years.
Estimates for IC 1318 and
NGC
6910
range from 2,000 to 5,000 light-years.
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.