A Bustling Hub of Star Formation

Chandra_378_1024

chandra_378 November 15th, 2007

Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/S.Wolk et al; Optical: NSF/AURA/WIYN/Univ. of Alaska/T.A.Rector

A composite image of X-ray (purple) and optical data of NGC

281 (red and yellow) reveals a region with very young stars and some actively forming. The Chandra data show more than 300 individual X-ray sources, most of

which are associated with the central star cluster. The edge-on aspect of NGC 281 allows scientists to study the effects of powerful X-rays on the gas in the region, the raw material for star formation.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/ngc281/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
NGC 281
Subject - Milky Way
Star > Grouping > Cluster
Nebula > Type > Star Formation

Distance

Universescale1
9,200 light years
Chandra_378_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 0h 52m 25.1s
DEC = 56° 33’ 53.8”
Orientation
North is 0.8° CW
Field of View
38.9 x 39.4 arcminutes
Constellation
Cassiopeia

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Red KPNO (WIYN 0.9m) Optical (R-band) 675.0 nm
Orange KPNO (WIYN 0.9m) Optical (V-band) 540.0 nm
Yellow KPNO (WIYN 0.9m) Optical (B-band) 456.0 nm
Purple Chandra (ACIS) X-ray (X-ray) 826.7 pm
Spectrum_xray1
Red
Orange
Yellow
Purple
Chandra_378_1280
×
ID
378
Subject Category
B.3.6.4   B.4.1.2  
Subject Name
NGC 281
Credits
X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/S.Wolk et al; Optical: NSF/AURA/WIYN/Univ. of Alaska/T.A.Rector
Release Date
2007-11-15
Lightyears
9,200
Redshift
9,200
Reference Url
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/ngc281/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
KPNO, KPNO, KPNO, Chandra
Instrument
WIYN 0.9m, WIYN 0.9m, WIYN 0.9m, ACIS
Color Assignment
Red, Orange, Yellow, Purple
Band
Optical, Optical, Optical, X-ray
Bandpass
R-band, V-band, B-band, X-ray
Central Wavelength
675, 540, 456, 0.8267
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
2000.0
Reference Value
13.10474400000, 56.56494700000
Reference Dimension
2962.00, 3000.00
Reference Pixel
1726.04314143338, 1238.25892046977
Scale
-0.00021864402, 0.00021864402
Rotation
-0.78382318891
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
World Coordinate System resolved using PinpointWCS 0.9.0 revision 213+ by the Chandra X-ray Center
Creator (Curator)
Chandra X-ray Observatory
URL
http://chandra.harvard.edu
Name
Chandra X-ray Observatory Center
Email
cxcpub@cfa.harvard.edu
Telephone
617.496.7941
Address
60 Garden St.
City
Cambridge
State/Province
MA
Postal Code
02138
Country
USA
Rights
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html
Publisher
Chandra X-ray Observatory Center
Publisher ID
chandra
Resource ID
ngc281.tif
Metadata Date
2013-09-20
Metadata Version
1.2
×

 

Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull
9,200 light years

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