Stars Brewing in Cygnus X
spitzer_ssc2012-02a January 10th, 2012
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
A bubbling cauldron of star birth is highlighted in this new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Infrared light that we can't see with our eyes has been color-coded, such that the shortest wavelengths are shown in blue and the longest in red. The middle wavelength range is green.
Massive stars have blown bubbles, or cavities, in the dust and gas -- a violent process that triggers both the death and birth of stars. The brightest, yellow-white regions are warm centers of star formation. The green shows tendrils of dust, and red indicates other types of dust that may be cooler, in addition to ionized gas from nearby massive stars.
Cygnus X is about 4,500 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, or the Swan.
Blue represents light at 3.6 microns: 4.5-micron light is blue-green; 8.0-micron light is green; and 24-micron light is red. These data were taken before the Spitzer mission ran out of its coolant in 2009, and began its "warm" mission.
Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope
Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/4868-ssc2012-02a-Stars-Brewing-in-Cygnus-X
Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA
Image Use Policy: Public Domain
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Full Size Image
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Source File
Image Details
- Image Type
- Observation
- Object Name
-
Cygnus X
• DR21• W75N• AFGL 2591• AFGL 2636• S106• DR22• DR23• DR20• DR15• DR9• DR7• S105• AFGL 2620• LDN 896• Cyg OB2• Cyg OB9• G79.29+0.46• HBHA 4202-22• BD+43 3710 - Subject - Milky Way
- Nebula > Type > Interstellar Medium
- Nebula > Type > Star Formation
- Nebula > Appearance > Dark
- Star > Evolutionary Stage > Protostar
- Star > Spectral Type > O
- Star > Spectral Type > B
- Star > Type > Carbon
- Star > Type > Wolf-Rayet
Distance
Position Details
Color Mapping
- ID
- ssc2012-02a
- Subject Category
- B.4.1.1. B.4.1.2. B.4.2.3. B.3.1.1. B.3.3.1. B.3.3.2. B.3.2.2. B.3.2.4.
- Subject Name
- Cygnus X, DR21, W75N, AFGL 2591, AFGL 2636, S106, DR22, DR23, DR20, DR15, DR9, DR7, S105, AFGL 2620, LDN 896, Cyg OB2, Cyg OB9, G79.29+0.46, HBHA 4202-22, BD+43 3710
- Credits
- NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
- Release Date
- 2012-01-10
- Lightyears
- 4,700
- Redshift
- 4,700
- Reference Url
- http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/4868-ssc2012-02a-Stars-Brewing-in-Cygnus-X
- Type
- Observation
- Image Quality
- Good
- Distance Notes
- approximate distance to major star-forming regions; many features are at significantly different distances
- Facility
- Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer
- Instrument
- IRAC, IRAC, IRAC, MIPS
- Color Assignment
- Blue, Cyan, Green, Red
- Band
- Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Infrared
- Bandpass
- Near-IR, Near-IR, Mid-IR, Mid-IR
- Central Wavelength
- 3600, 4500, 8000, 24000
- Start Time
- Integration Time
- Dataset ID
- Notes
- Coordinate Frame
- ICRS
- Equinox
- Reference Value
- 308., 40.5
- Reference Dimension
- 8800, 8000
- Reference Pixel
- 4614, 2527
- Scale
- -4.79262000000000e-04, 4.79262000000000e-04
- Rotation
- 0
- Coordinate System Projection:
- TAN
- Quality
- Full
- FITS Header
- Notes
- Creator (Curator)
- Spitzer Space Telescope
- URL
- http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
- Name
- Telephone
- Address
- 1200 E. California Blvd.
- City
- Pasadena
- State/Province
- CA
- Postal Code
- 91125
- Country
- USA
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Publisher
- Spitzer Science Center
- Publisher ID
- spitzer
- Resource ID
- ssc2012-02a.tif
- Resource URL
- http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/uploaded_files/images/0008/4545/ssc2012-02a.tif
- Related Resources
- Metadata Date
- 2012-01-18
- Metadata Version
Detailed color mapping information coming soon...
