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Credit & Copyright: WFI,
European Southern Observatory
Explanation:
Hot blue stars, red glowing hydrogen gas, and dark, obscuring dust
clouds are strewn through this dramatic region of
the Milky Way in the southern constellation
of Ara (the Altar).
About 4,000 light-years from Earth, the stars at the left are
young, massive, and energetic.
Their intense
ultraviolet radiation is eating away at the nearby
star forming cloud complex - ionizing the hydrogen gas and producing
the characteristic
red "hydrogen-alpha" glow.
At right, visible within the dark dust nebula,
is small cluster of newborn stars.
This beautiful color picture is a
composite of images made through
blue, green, and hydrogen-alpha filters.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: star formation - emission nebula - star cluster
Publications with words: star formation - emission nebula - star cluster
See also: