Some
of the most breathtaking views in the Universe are created by nebulae —
hot, glowing clouds of gas. This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
image shows the centre of the Lagoon Nebula, an object with a
deceptively tranquil name. The region is filled with intense winds from
hot stars, churning funnels of gas, and energetic star formation, all
embedded within an intricate haze of gas and pitch-dark dust.
Nebulae are often named based on their key characteristics —
particularly beautiful examples include the Ring Nebula (heic1310), the
Horsehead Nebula (heic1307) and the Butterfly Nebula (heic0910). This
new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the centre of the Lagoon
Nebula, otherwise known as Messier 8, in the constellation of
Sagittarius (The Archer).
The inspiration for this nebula’s name may not be immediately obvious —
this is because the image captures only the very heart of the nebula.
The Lagoon Nebula’s name becomes much clearer in a wider field view
(opo0417i) when the broad, lagoon-shaped dust lane that crosses the
glowing gas of the nebula can be made out.
Another clear difference between this new image and others is that this
image combines both infrared and optical light rather than being purely
optical(heic1015). Infrared light cuts through thick, obscuring patches
of dust and gas, revealing the more intricate structures underneath and
producing a completely different landscape [1].
However, even in visible light, the tranquil name remains misleading as
the region is packed full of violent phenomena.
The bright star embedded in dark clouds at the centre of this image is
known as Herschel 36. This star is responsible for sculpting the
surrounding cloud, stripping away material and influencing its shape.
Herschel 36 is the main source of ionising radiation [2] for this part
of the Lagoon Nebula.
This central part of the Lagoon Nebula contains two main structures of
gas and dust connected by wispy twisters, visible in the middle third of
this image (opo9638). These features are quite similar to their
namesakes on Earth — they are thought to be wrapped up into their
funnel-like shapes by temperature differences between the hot surface
and cold interior of the clouds. The nebula is also actively forming new
stars, and energetic winds from these newborns may contribute to
creating the twisters.
This image combines images taken using optical and infrared light
gathered by Hubble’s Wide Field Planetary Camera 2.
Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Trauger (Jet Propulson Laboratory)
NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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