WISE Reveals a Hidden Star Cluster

Wise_wise2010-027_1024

wise_WISE2010-027 August 2nd, 2010

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, has seen a cluster of newborn stars enclosed in a cocoon of dust and gas in the constellation Camelopardalis. The cluster, AFGL 490, is hidden from view in visible light by the cloud. But WISEs infrared vision sees the glow of the dust itself, and penetrates this dust to see the infant stars within.

Not much is known about this stealthy star cluster. Its distance from Earth is estimated to be about 2,300 light-years. The portion of the star-forming nebula captured in this view stretches across about 62 light-years of space.

All four infrared detectors aboard WISE were used to make this mosaic. Color is representational: blue and cyan represent infrared light at wavelengths of 3.4 and 4.6 microns, which is dominated by light from stars. Green and red represent light at 12 and 22 microns, which is mostly light from warm dust.

Provider: Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

Image Source: /image/wise/WISE2010-027

Curator: Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Berkeley, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: Pulic Domain

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
AFGL 490
Subject - Milky Way
Nebula > Type > Star Formation
Wise_wise2010-027_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 3h 27m 37.9s
DEC = 58° 47’ 5.4”
Orientation
North is 72.0° CW
Field of View
1.5 x 1.0 degrees
Constellation
Camelopardalis

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue WISE Infrared (Near-IR) 3.4 µm
Cyan WISE Infrared (Near-IR) 4.6 µm
Green WISE Infrared (Mid-IR) 12.0 µm
Red WISE Infrared (Mid-IR) 22.0 µm
Spectrum_ir1
Blue
Cyan
Green
Red
Wise_wise2010-027_1280
×
ID
WISE2010-027
Subject Category
B.4.1.2.  
Subject Name
AFGL 490
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
Release Date
2010-08-02
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
/image/wise/WISE2010-027
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
WISE, WISE, WISE, WISE
Instrument
Color Assignment
Blue, Cyan, Green, Red
Band
Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Infrared
Bandpass
Near-IR, Near-IR, Mid-IR, Mid-IR
Central Wavelength
3400, 4600, 12000, 22000
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
51.9079611, 58.7848445
Reference Dimension
4032.0, 2580.0
Reference Pixel
2017.0, 1291.0
Scale
-3.81944439141100e-04, 3.81944439141100e-04
Rotation
-72
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
URL
http://wise.astro.ucla.edu
Name
Email
outreach@ssl.berkeley.edu
Telephone
Address
7 Gauss Way
City
Berkeley
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
94720
Country
USA
Rights
Pulic Domain
Publisher
Publisher ID
wise
Resource ID
Resource URL
/image/wise/WISE2010-027
Related Resources
Metadata Date
2011-08-05
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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There is no distance meta data in this image.

 

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