Bubbly Newborn Star

Spitzer_sig13-016_1024

spitzer_sig13-016 November 11th, 2013

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ALMA

Combined observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the newly completed Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile have revealed the throes of stellar birth, as never before, in the well-studied object known as HH 46/47.

Herbig-Haro (HH) objects form when jets shot out by newborn stars collide with surrounding material, producing small, bright, nebulous regions. To our eyes, the dynamics within many HH objects are obscured by enveloping gas and dust. But the infrared and submillimeter light seen by Spitzer and ALMA, respectively, pierces the dark cosmic cloud around HH 46/47 to let us in on the action. (Infrared light has longer wavelengths than what we see with our eyes, and submillimeter light has even longer wavelengths.)

In this image, the shorter-wavelength light appears blue and longer-wavelength light, red. Blue shows gas energized by the outflowing jets. The green colors trace a combination of hydrogen gas molecules and dust that follows the boundary of the gas cloud cocooning the young star. The reddish-colored areas, created by excited carbon monoxide gas, reveal that the gas in the two lobes blown out by the star's jets is expanding faster than previously thought. This faster expansion has an influence on the overall amount of turbulence in the gaseous cloud that originally spawned the star. In turn, the extra turbulence could have an impact on whether and how other stars might form in this gaseous, dusty, and thus fertile, ground for star-making.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/5699-sig13-016-Bubbly-Newborn-Star

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/info/18-Image-Use-Policy

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
HH 46/47 Herbig-Haro 46/47
Subject - Milky Way
Nebula > Type > Jet
Star > Evolutionary Stage > Protostar
Star > Circumstellar Material > Outflow

Distance

Universescale1
1,140 light years
Spitzer_sig13-016_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 8h 25m 43.0s
DEC = -51° 0’ 30.1”
Orientation
North is 0.1° CCW
Field of View
5.1 x 5.1 arcminutes
Constellation
Vela

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 3.6 µm
Cyan Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 4.5 µm
Green Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Mid-IR) 8.0 µm
Red ALMA Millimeter (CO) 2.6 mm
Spectrum_ir1
Blue
Cyan
Green
Red
Spitzer_sig13-016_1280
×
ID
sig13-016
Subject Category
B.4.1.5   B.3.1.1   B.3.7.3  
Subject Name
HH 46/47, Herbig-Haro 46/47
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ALMA
Release Date
2013-11-11
Lightyears
1,140
Redshift
1,140
Reference Url
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/5699-sig13-016-Bubbly-Newborn-Star
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer, ALMA
Instrument
IRAC, IRAC, IRAC
Color Assignment
Blue, Cyan, Green, Red
Band
Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Millimeter
Bandpass
Near-IR, Near-IR, Mid-IR, CO
Central Wavelength
3600, 4500, 8000, 2600000
Start Time
2003-11-21T02:14:07.683, 2003-11-21T02:14:07.683, 2003-11-21T02:14:07.683, 2011-12-29T05:07
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
126.4292985, -51.0083677
Reference Dimension
1500.0, 1500.0
Reference Pixel
751.0, 751.0
Scale
-5.69866e-05, 5.698656e-05
Rotation
0.11
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Spitzer Space Telescope
URL
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/info/18-Image-Use-Policy
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
sig13-016.tif
Metadata Date
2013-11-11
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

×
Universescalefull
1,140 light years

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