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Credit & Copyright: Tommaso Stella
Explanation:
These bright rims and flowing shapes look ghostly on a cosmic scale.
A telescopic view toward the constellation
Cassiopeia, the colorful
skyscape features swept-back, comet-shaped clouds
IC 59 (left) and IC 63.
About 600 light-years distant,
the clouds
aren't actually ghosts.
They are slowly disappearing though,
under the influence of
energetic radiation
from hot,luminous star gamma Cas.
Gamma Cas is
physically located only 3 to 4 light-years from the
nebulae, the bright star just above and left in the frame.
Slightly closer to gamma Cas, IC 63 is dominated by
red H-alpha light emitted as
hydrogen atoms ionized by the star's ultraviolet radiation recombine
with electrons.
Farther from the star, IC 59 shows proportionally less H-alpha
emission but more of the characteristic blue tint of dust
reflected star light.
The field of view spans over 1 degree or 10 light-years at the
estimated distance of
gamma Cas and friends.
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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: reflection nebula - emission nebula
Publications with words: reflection nebula - emission nebula
See also: