Credit & Copyright: Russell Croman
Explanation:
The nebula surrounding bright star S Mon
is filled with dark dust and glowing gas.
The strange shapes
originate from fine interstellar
dust reacting in
complex ways with the energetic light and
hot gas being expelled by the young stars.
The region just below
S Mon, the brightest star in the
above picture, is nicknamed the
Fox Fur Nebula for its color and texture.
The blue glow directly surrounding S Mon results from
reflection,
where neighboring dust reflects light from the bright star.
The more diffuse red glow results from
emission, where starlight
ionizes hydrogen gas.
Pink areas are lit by a combination of the two processes.
S Mon is part of a young
open cluster of stars named
NGC 2264, located about 2500
light years away toward the constellation of
Monoceros, just north of the
Cone Nebula.
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
|
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: nebula - S Mon - dust
Publications with words: nebula - S Mon - dust
See also:
- NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
- APOD: 2024 June 11 Á Colorful Stars and Clouds near Rho Ophiuchi
- APOD: 2024 January 29 Á The Pleiades: Seven Dusty Sisters
- APOD: 2024 January 23 Á Deep Nebulas: From Seagull to California
- APOD: 2023 June 14 Á The Shark Nebula
- The Dark Seahorse in Cepheus
- APOD: 2023 February 19 Á Seven Dusty Sisters in Infrared