noirlab_noao-ic468 June 30th, 2020
Credit: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the KPNO 0.9m-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Informally known as Thors Helmet, NGC 2359 (IC 468) is a giant bubble that is being blown off of the Wolf-Rayet star HD 56925. Wolf-Rayet stars are extremely massive stars that are very hot and luminous. Their intense energy blows off the outer layers, causing the bubble shape seen here. The complex shape of the bubble is due to its interaction with dust and gas in which the star is embedded. The image was generated with observations in Hydrogen alpha (orange), Oxygen [OIII] (blue) and Sulfur [SII] (violet) filters. In this image, North is left, East is down.
Provider: NOIRLab
Image Source: https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noao-ic468/
Curator: NSF's NOIRLab, Tucson, AZ, USA
Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Detailed color mapping information coming soon...
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